viasat
Best satellite internet provider for versatility of plans
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Elon Musk’s Starlink is the satellite Internet service provider that grabs the majority of the headlines, be that as it may Disclosure of Internet services for private aircraft or Partnering with T-Mobile to help provide greater cellular connectivity across the United States. The most recent development was the late 2022 announcement that A.J Starlink data cap. But the ISP mask is just a small part of the picture.
It’s not breaking news that many are into Rural America Lack of adequate access to the Internet. There is disagreement about the exact numbers, but a growing group of votes agree The United States should work to increase and expand its Internet infrastructure. The good news? the The White House aims to make our Internet connections less expensive Through partnership with Internet service providers jointly with the government Affordable communication software.
Are you shopping for faster internet speed?
In the meantime, satellite internet is the best broadband connection type It is currently available to people in rural areas in all 50 states. Doesn’t match the internet speed capabilities of The fiber or cable links. However, satellite broadband can play a major role when Internet access is vital (and The pandemic sheds light on how important it is). But which satellite internet service provider is the best?
Honestly, there aren’t a lot of options. But here’s what you’ll find when you explore satellite internet access, starting with a quick look at how the best satellite internet service providers compare.
Read more: Is 5G Home Internet the Answer to Your Broadband Needs?
Satellite Internet cost comparisons
| Hughes Net | Starlink | viasat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top speeds | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 20-250Mbps for download, 5-30Mbps for upload | 12-150 Mbps for download, 3 Mbps for upload |
| Lowest monthly cost | From 50 to 150 dollars | $110 | $70 – $300 |
| normal monthly rate | $65 – $175 | 110 – 135 USD | $100 – $400 |
| a contract | Two years | no one | Two years |
| monthly equipment costs | $15 or $350 one-time | $599 for a one-time purchase (or $2,500 for the premium) | $15 or $300 one-time |
| data allowance | 15-200 GB | 1 terabyte | 40-500 GB |
Let’s dig a little deeper to see what each satellite internet provider brings to the table.
The best satellite internet service providers for 2023
HughesNet scores strong points for download speed consistency. While satellite internet service providers’ speeds may vary from location to location, HughesNet’s maximum download speed – although not as fast as the others – is available to all customers in all remote areas. Furthermore, an FCC report on broadband (the last time HughesNet participated in the FCC study) indicated that HughesNet was the best of all participating providers for delivering an average actual download speed of 150% or higher than advertised speed.
Things to consider? Although HughesNet does not have hard data caps, you will find that their speeds are reduced to 1 to 3 Mbps once you hit your monthly data limit. HughesNet also fell short in the J.D. Power study of residential ISP satisfaction in the US, ranking last in the Southern region for overall customer satisfaction.
Read our HughesNet review.
HughesNet satellite internet plans and prices
| Hughes Net Fusion | Hughes Net Fusion | Hughes Net Fusion | Hughes Net Fusion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top speeds | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload |
| Starting at the monthly cost | $65 | $50 | $75 | $150 |
| Normal monthly rate (after six months) | $65 | $75 | $100 dollars | $175 |
| a contract | Two years | Two years | Two years | Two years |
| data allowance | 15 GB | 30 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB |
Viasat satellite internet allows you to choose an internet plan that best suits your needs. These internet service plans include some slower than you’ll find with HughesNet and several faster ones. The packages also come with more data – up to 500GB – though, similar to HughesNet, you may find your data ‘untidy’ if you exceed your monthly data limit.
Viasat skewed in 2022 when it came to equipment. The case was that Viasat did not allow you to purchase the equipment. This might seem like a bonus when you consider that HughesNet charges $350 if you want to purchase your equipment (which includes installation costs) and Starlink hardware costs $599. But that also means you can’t avoid the extra $15 monthly equipment rental fee. But now, you can buy your own Viasat equipment for a one-time purchase of $300, which is cheaper than its competitors.
Read our review of Viasat.
Viasat satellite internet packages and prices (not available in all markets)
| Choice 25 | Pick 50 | Choice 75 | Check 100 | Choose 125 | Check 150 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top speeds | 25Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | Download speed is 50 Mbps and 3 Mbps for upload | 75Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 100Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 125Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload | 150Mbps Download, 3Mbps Upload |
| Starting at the monthly cost | $70 | $90 | $150 | $ 200 | $300 | $300 |
| Normal monthly rate (after 3 months) | $100 dollars | $150 | $ 200 | $300 | $400 | $400 |
| a contract | Two years | Two years | Two years | Two years | Two years | Two years |
| data allowance | 40 GB | 60 GB | 100 GB | 150 GB | 300 GB | 500 GB |
When eccentric billionaire Elon Musk isn’t making headlines for his antics on Twitter, he’s making headway with his company SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet project. Granted, this satellite provider is still in its infancy—there’s a waiting list at the moment and currently has just over 500,000 active users worldwide—but the early results, as shared by CNET’s John Kim, are promising.
First, at 20 to 250 Mbps, the maximum download speeds are faster than those of HughesNet and Viasat. It also boasts a latency of 25-50ms, compared to the more typical HughesNet and Viasat range of 450-700ms.
Secondly, Starlink keeps things simple by only using two satellite internet plans – Starlink and Starlink Premium. The premium tier offers a different satellite dish and equipment for faster download speeds but comes at a higher price.
Finally, while the $599 equipment fee—and a whopping $2,500 for Starlink Premium—is steeper than those charged by HughesNet or Viasat, Starlink doesn’t require a two-year contract. It imposed a still generous cap of 1TB in April, after which users’ speeds will be slashed until the end of the billing cycle. Once you consider the decent upload speed, these are great upgrades for anyone stuck with satellite internet. These facts can undoubtedly change as Starlink grows, but they are interesting aspects of the playing field that can help set it apart from the competition.
Read our Starlink overview.
Starlink satellite internet plans and prices
| Plan | Top speeds | Starting at the monthly cost | normal monthly rate | a contract | data allowance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlink | Download speed 100mbps, 15mbps upload | $110 | $110 | no one | 1 terabyte |
| Starlink Premium | 250Mbps Download, 30Mbps Upload | $135 | $135 | no one | 1 terabyte |
Watch this: SpaceX Starlink Satellite Internet Test
What’s next for satellite internet providers?
Stay tuned to CNET for the latest developments with Starlink as it presses more on its plans and aims to expand its coverage.
According to Ookla speed test data from the third quarter of 2022, Starlink was the clear winner as the fastest satellite provider on average. The average download speed in the US was 53 Mbps, while Viasat ranked second with download speeds of 28 Mbps. HughesNet brought the back up with a download speed of 21 Mbps. It’s safe to say that Starlink is starting to change expectations about how satellite internet will perform. actually, HughesNet recently revealed plans to increase its speeds to 50 and 100 Mbps before the end of the year.
It should also be noted that more disruption could come from another billionaire, Jeff Bezos, like Amazon Project Kuiper He also aims to enter the field. Although nowhere near the stage that Starlink has hit so far, Project Kuiper has butted some heads when it was The prototype provided speeds of up to 400 Mbps in some iterations.
Innovations from low Earth orbit satellites will be just one piece of the puzzle to deliver better internet to the millions of households who still cannot find a reliable broadband source. We’ll keep this post updated as your options (hopefully) improve.
Frequently asked questions about satellite internet service providers
Is Starlink better than Viasat?
Potentially, yes. If you’re an existing Starlink Internet user, you’re in for a broadband connection with Viasat’s faster download and upload speeds (250Mbps / 20Mbps compared to 150Mbps / 3Mbps). Starlink also has lower latency than Viasat (25-50ms vs 450-700ms), which makes gaming and other online activities that require fast response times more feasible on Starlink than on Viasat.
However, more than 500,000 potential customers are still waiting to try Starlink. If you hop on the site now and try to get in line, you’ll get the message that “Some orders may take 6 months or longer to fulfill,” and some parts of the country won’t be serviceable until late 2023. That’s remarkably unhelpful for the 14 million Americans who remain Without broadband service, according to the most recent FCC report.
So, where Viasat wins is its availability to more than 120 million households in the United States now. Let’s say you are in a rural or underserved area and have few options to connect to the Internet. In this case, Viasat can get you connected, while Starlink may be an option down the road, but it’s not an instant fix.
Do all satellite internet service providers have data caps?
Technically, HughesNet and Viasat do not. Both claim to offer “unlimited data” because neither of them overcharges, but they each have a set data limit for their plans. If you reach that data limit before your monthly billing cycle ends, there are no penalties, but you’ll experience slower, crunched speeds for the remainder of that month. So you may not be capped on your data, but I would call this a practice cap.
Starlink used to offer truly unlimited data. However, that big advantage over its competitors changed in April when Starlink introduced its data cap. The limit would be 1TB of data per month (much higher than the data limits at HughesNet and Viasat), but it’s still quite a change from unlimited data.
Will Starlink be faster than HughesNet?
Yes. Starlink claims that customers can expect download speeds from 20 to 250 Mbps. CNET’s John Kim tested the service and saw average download speeds of around 78Mbps.
HughesNet, which relies on satellites in a much higher orbit than Starlink uses — which means data takes a little longer to travel back and forth — offers plans with maximum download speeds of 25 megabits per second. This is faster than some of the plans available with Viasat but no match for Starlink.