It’s not breaking news that many in rural America lack adequate internet access. There’s some disagreement on the exact numbers, but a growing chorus of voices agree the US has work to do to increase and expand its internet infrastructure.
In the meantime, satellite internet is the one internet connection type currently available to people in all 50 states. It doesn’t match the speed capabilities of fiber or cable connections. Still, when internet access is absolutely vital (and the pandemic has shed light on just how critical it is), satellite can play a key role. But which provider is best?
Frankly, there aren’t many choices out there. But here’s what you’ll find when you start to explore satellite internet access, starting with a quick look at how the best satellite internet providers compare.
Read more: Best rural internet providers of 2021
Satellite Internet Provider Comparisons
Provider
Download speeds
Upload speeds
Lowest monthly cost*
Regular monthly cost*
Contract terms
Equipment costs
Data allowance
HughesNet
25Mbps
3Mbps
$40-$130
$60-$150
Two years
$15 a month or $450 one-time purchase
10-50GB
Viasat
12-100Mbps
3Mbps
$70-$200
$100-$250
Two years
$13 a month or $299 one-time purchase
40-150GB
Starlink (beta)
50-150Mbps
20Mbps
$99
$99
None
$499 one-time purchase
Unlimited
Let’s dig a little deeper to see what each of these satellite providers brings to the table.
HughesNet
Best for speed reliability
HughesNet
HughesNet scores strong points for its consistency of internet service. Whereas other satellite internet service providers’ speeds might vary from location to location, HughesNet’s max download speeds — though not as fast on the top end as others — are available to all customers in all service areas. What’s more, in 2018, a Federal Communications Commission report on broadband noted that HughesNet fared best among all participating providers for delivering actual median speeds at 150% or higher of the advertised speed.
Things to consider? While HughesNet has no hard data limits, you’ll find its speeds reduced to 1-3 megabits per second once you hit your monthly data allowance. HughesNet also came up short in J.D. Power’s 2020 US Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study, landing dead last in the South region for overall customer satisfaction, with 620 out of a possible 1,000 points (with the regional average at 738 points).
HughesNet Satellite Internet Plans
Plan
Max download speeds
Max upload speeds
Starting monthly cost*
Regular monthly cost (after 6 months)*
Contract terms
Data allowance
HughesNet Gen5
25Mbps
3Mbps
$40
$60
Two years
10GB
HughesNet Gen5
25Mbps
3Mbps
$50
$70
Two years
20GB
HughesNet Gen5
25Mbps
3Mbps
$80
$100
Two years
30GB
HughesNet Gen5
25Mbps
3Mbps
$130
$150
Two years
50GB
Viasat
Best for versatility of plans
Viasat
Viasat lets you choose an internet plan that best fits your needs. Those internet service plans include some that are slower than what you’ll find with HughesNet and several that are faster. Packages also come with more data — up to 150GB — though, similar to HughesNet, you may find your data “deprioritized” if you go over your monthly data allowance.
Viasat also flexes its versatility muscles with its satellite/DSL hybrid offering, Viasat Flex. This service, available at no extra cost to rural areas within AT&T’s DSL network, aims to improve signal reliability and lower latency.
Finally, Viasat swerves once again when it comes to equipment. It used to be the case that Viasat didn’t allow you to buy equipment. That might have seemed like a bonus when you consider that HughesNet charges $450 if you want to buy your gear (which includes installation costs) and Starlink devices currently cost $499 — but that also meant you couldn’t avoid the additional monthly equipment rental fee of $13. But now, you can buy your Viasat equipment for a one-time purchase of $299, which is cheaper than its rivals.
Viasat Internet Plans and Pricing
Plan
Max download speeds
Max upload speeds
Starting monthly cost*
Regular monthly cost (after 3 months)*
Contract terms
Data allowance
Unlimited Bronze 12
12Mbps
3Mbps
$70
$100
Two years
40GB
Unlimited Silver 25
25Mbps
3Mbps
$100
$150
Two years
60GB
Unlimited Gold 50
50Mbps
3Mbps
$150
$200
Two years
100GB
Unlimited Platinum 100
100Mbps
3Mbps
$200
$250
Two years
150GB
Starlink
Best potential
John Kim/CNET
When eccentric billionaire Elon Musk isn’t garnering headlines with his Neuralink brain implant project or trolling social media by revamping his Twitter bio, he’s been making some noteworthy progress with his Starlink satellite internet project. Granted, this satellite provider is still in a beta test — meaning, it’s not available to everyone but currently to just over 69,000 active users — but the early results, as shared by our own John Kim, are promising.
First, at 150Mbps, the max download speeds are higher than those offered by HughesNet and Viasat. In fact, Musk boasted in February that Starlink should be able to hit speeds closer to 300Mbps by the end of 2021. It also features a latency between 20 to 50 milliseconds compared to the more typical range of 450-700ms for HughesNet and Viasat.
Second, Starlink will keep things as simple as possible by going with only one satellite internet plan offering. Recently, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said there are “no plans” to introduce tiered pricing or packages.
Lastly, while the current equipment fee of $499 is steeper than those charged by either HughesNet or Viasat, Starlink does not require a two-year contract and features truly unlimited data, which is pretty considerable as prospective upgrades go for anyone stuck with satellite internet. Those facts could certainly change once Starlink emerges from its beta program, but they’re intriguing aspects of the pitch that could help set it apart from the competition.
Starlink Satellite Internet
Plan
Max download speeds
Max upload speeds
Starting monthly cost*
Regular monthly cost (after 3 months)*
Contract terms
Data allowance
Starlink beta
150Mbps
20Mbps
$99
$99
None
Unlimited
What’s on the horizon for satellite internet?
Stay tuned to CNET for the latest developments with Starlink as it presses further into its beta test and aims to expand its coverage.
But it should also be mentioned that further disruption of the game may come from another multibillionaire, Jeff Bezos, as Amazon’s Project Kuiper also aims to enter the field. While nowhere near the beta stage that Starlink has achieved thus far, Project Kuiper did turn some heads when its prototype delivered speeds up to 400Mbps in recent iterations.
Innovations from low Earth orbit satellites will be just one piece of the puzzle of better delivering the internet to the millions of households still unable to find a reliable broadband source. We’ll keep this post updated as your options (hopefully) improve.
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