Verizon’s $70 Gigabit internet plan misses both targets
(May 13, 2017) Verizon announced the launch of Fios Gigabit Connection, as “the nation’s largest deployment of gigabit Internet connection service.” It even promised a $70 per month price standalone, however, as people tried to sign up a few shortcomings have become evident. First of all, it’s not quite 1Gbps speed, with downloads reaching a maximum 940Mbps and uploads stopped at 880Mbps. Further, its pricing scheme is more complicated than the announcement advertised, with that $70 price (that doesn’t include the charge for a modem or other fees) only available to new customers.
Ars Technica heard from a reader who tried to upgrade from $150 750Mbps “Instant Internet” that their price would go up to $200 per month, but it appears it won’t be that expensive. We confirmed what they heard from Verizon PR, which is that the price for existing customers can vary based on what they have right now. The confusion appears to come from the application of promotional rates that may not be updated in its billing system yet, and it’s unclear whether they will expire or remain in force for as long as users keep their service.
Either way, as of April 30th, existing customers with 100Mbps speed can upgrade for $30 per month more, while 150Mbps customers can upgrade for an additional $20 per month. What we’ve been told by Verizon is that in many cases, existing customers will be in the $95 range for Gigabit service, while the press release says Instant Internet customers should see their prices lowered automatically. Simple, right?
The improvement over 750Mbps Instant Internet is apparently the result of “fine tuned” diagnostics and network hardware, and it will be available in over 8 million homes across “New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Richmond, Va., Hampton Roads, Va., Boston, Providence and Washington, D.C.”
Verizon:
Fios Gigabit Connection service bundled with Fios Custom TV and Digital Voice service is available online for $79.99 in year one and $84.99 in year two, with a two-year agreement.
In areas where Fios Gigabit Connection service is available, Verizon now offers two tiers of standalone Internet service – 50 Mbps for $39.99 a month and Gigabit Connection for $69.99 a month when ordered online. Existing customers who wish to upgrade to Fios Gigabit Connection will be able to do so online starting April 30. Customers with Instant Internet service today will soon automatically receive Fios Gigabit Connection and will see their bills lowered.
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