Google Cloud networking services and pricing update
Update: On 12/15/2023, Google Cloud is changing all Egress related product names to Data Transfer in line with the industry standards. Please visit this page for more details here.
This is a general FAQ about changes to networking services and pricing for Google Cloud. We plan to update this FAQ regularly, so please check back for the latest information.
Important note: These changes will not be in effect for 4 months (new pricing will take effect starting on February 1, 2024), and customers who sign or renew a fixed price contract before February 1, 2024 will not be impacted. These customers will automatically stay on the old pricing model until the end of their contract.
However, we want to provide information to support our customers who may have questions about the new offerings and pricing.
FAQ
What services are affected by the price changes?
We are changing offerings and prices for certain Google Cloud networking services. The services include Data Transfer, Cloud Interconnect, public IPs, and Cloud NAT.
A high level summary of the changes customers will see rolling out includes:
- Data transfer charges modified for some regional and inter-regional traffic as well as for data transfer over Cloud Interconnect
- Data transfer out to the Internet charges for Premium Tier modified for certain locations and usage tiers
- Increased charges for 100G Cloud Interconnect ports and in-use external IPs
- We will be charging for usage of external IPs in Cloud NAT as for any other usage of external IPs
How do I know if the products I am using are impacted by pricing changes?
This change impacts existing networking products. Take a moment to review the announcements for each product below:
How can I find information on my usage of Google Cloud products?
Take a few steps to review your current usage of Google Cloud products.
On September 28, 2023, we sent an email containing our latest updates on these pricing changes. Look for the subject line: [Billing Notice] Google Cloud networking will be updating prices starting February 1, 2024.
- If you have the email, a list of the Google Cloud projects impacted by these pricing changes will be attached.
- If you can’t find the email: You can still estimate your costs for existing SKUs that are changing in price. Information on the changing SKU prices for each product are available at the links provided in question 2 above.
- For existing SKUs
- Browse to the Billing Reports page or the Cost Table page in the Cloud Console.
- Change the Group by filter to SKU, and apply filters to the data based on what timeline you would like to use to estimate.
- Using the SKUs from the estimate or pricing page, use the SKUs filter to view usage for each product’s relevant SKUs in turn. Use the SKU name or ID in the filter to view current usage, then calculate the new cost using the usage in the “Usage” column.
Why are we making these changes?
Over the past several years, Google Cloud has made significant investments in infrastructure services that have benefited our customers. Many of the changes have added capabilities which optimize and tune the cloud network for new use cases and applications, such as higher VM-to-VM bandwidth, higher VM-to-internet bandwidth, global jumbo frame support, Cloud NAT support for Standard Tier, and more.
As we continue to add these capabilities we are also making adjustments to certain products' pricing models to align more closely with how customers want to purchase our services. As more companies move to a multicloud approach, better alignment with industry pricing standards will help customers more easily process payments between providers and streamline their procurement.
What can customers do to address these changes?
For most customers there will be no need to make any adjustments as we estimate a significant number will see no change in their monthly bill, or even benefit from lower charges, depending on their particular networking usage. Customers who see a concerning increase can evaluate their usage and take steps to reduce the consumption of those services.
Customers can adapt their current usage to better align their applications to these new business models and help mitigate some of the price changes. They should consider what actions, if any, they may want to take based on current infrastructure and networking needs. Many of these changes may have simple choices associated with them.
How will we help customers manage these changes?
The majority of our customers should see no net changes or even a decrease in their networking charges. We will be honoring all fixed price contracts signed before February 1, 2024. All sales reps who have customers impacted by this change have been notified and trained to help you manage these changes. Please contact your sales rep to understand what changes may occur and how to manage these changes per your specific situation.
When do the price changes take effect?
The services and pricing updates go into effect on February 1, 2024. Mandatory Service Announcements (MSAs) have been sent to customers on September 28, 2023, providing customers with more than 120 days notice before the changes take effect. Customers who sign or renew a fixed price contract before February 1, 2024, will not be impacted by the price changes. They will automatically stay on their existing pricing models until the end of their contracts.
I have a fixed price contract with Google Cloud. Will my prices change?
We will honor the commitments we make to our customers, so those with existing contracts with fixed prices for the affected SKUs will not be impacted by these changes until the end of their contracts. For customers with a non-fixed pricing, you will be affected by these changes. Please contact your sales rep to understand what changes may occur.
For data transfer out to the internet, the changes only apply to Premium Tier Internet. We recently announced changes to Standard Tier where customers will be eligible for 200 GB of free Standard Tier VM to internet data transfer every month. This is available independently in each region therefore providing combined 6TB of Standard Tier Networking free for use every month. We have also been increasing the functionality of Standard Tier with recent changes including adding Cloud NAT support for Standard Tier.
Cloud Interconnect is introducing granular data transfer pricing and will take into account both the source region where attachment is deployed and the destination PoP where the traffic will transfer from. In many cases, Google Cloud’s pricing remains below one or both of our major competitors.
When and how will existing customers be notified?
Customers will be notified by a Mandatory Service Announcement (MSA), which was sent on September 28, 2023.
Will the changes be worldwide?
The changes will apply globally. For any pricing changes, local currency list prices will be adjusted to USD prices to help avoid currency arbitrage. Region-specific pricing changes are also included in these updates, but are applicable to customers regardless of their geographic location.
Where can I find more information, resources, and support?
We plan to update this FAQ regularly with more information before the pricing changes go into effect Feb 1, 2024. However, If you have any additional questions that are not answered in this FAQ, please reach out to your account team for situation specific guidance, or contact Cloud Billing Support.