Rural customers now have a new option for internet and TV bundles, courtesy of Hughesnet and Dish TV. The new offerings provide savings of $10 per month on any combination chosen, with $5 off the Dish service and $5 off Hughesnet. However, there are some important details to consider before signing up for Hughesnet, or any other satellite internet plan. Customers will receive between 100 and 200GB of priority data each month, after which their speeds may be reduced during high-traffic periods. Additionally, equipment rental fees range from $15 to $20 per month, with installation costs adding an extra $99 to $200. Prices for Hughesnet increase by $25 monthly after the first year, and customers must commit to a two-year contract with steep fees for early termination.
There are three Hughesnet plans to choose from: Select, Elite, and Fusion, each offering varying download speeds, latency, and priority data limits. The prices for these plans when combined with Dish TV packages range from $130 to $205 per month, depending on the selected options. Customers also have the option to remove local channels from their Dish package and save $12 per month, as these channels can be received for free with a TV antenna. The bundles provided by Dish and Hughesnet are recommended primarily for those living in rural areas without access to other internet options, as satellite should be considered a last resort.
While the Dish and Hughesnet bundles may be a good deal for those in rural areas without other options, there is another competitor to consider – Starlink. Starlink offers the fastest satellite internet but comes with a higher upfront equipment cost of $599 and a monthly plan cost of $120. With Starlink’s speeds and unlimited data, customers can easily add a live TV streaming service such as Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV. However, other satellite internet providers like Hughesnet and Viasat may struggle to support these types of live-streaming services.
Viasat, another satellite internet provider, does not offer bundling discounts like Hughesnet and Dish, meaning customers would have to pay full price for TV service. With internet-only plans starting at $100 per month for speeds ranging from 25 to 150Mbps, adding TV service through Viasat would likely cost more than what the Hughesnet and Dish bundles offer. Overall, for rural customers with limited options, the Hughesnet and Dish bundles provide a convenient and cost-effective solution for combining internet and TV services, though other providers like Starlink offer faster speeds at a higher cost.
