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Rural customers now have a new option for internet and TV bundles. Hughesnet and Dish TV (both owned by the company EchoStar) launched a slew of new offerings on Thursday, with savings of $10 per month on any combination you choose -- $5 off the Dish service and $5 off Hughesnet.
There are several caveats to keep in mind when considering Hughesnet -- or any other satellite internet plan for that matter. You’ll get only between 100 and 200GB of priority data each month. After that, Hughesnet will deprioritize your data for the rest of the month, which means your speeds "may be slower than other traffic during high-traffic periods." (The average US household uses 641GB of data each month.)
Hughesnet also charges $15 to $20 per month to rent equipment, but you have the option to purchase it for $300 to $450 upfront. Installation adds another $99 to $200.
Finally, Hughesnet prices increase by $25 monthly after your first year, and you’ll have to sign a two-year contract with steep fees if you decide to end your service early.
There are three Hughesnet plans to choose from:
- Select: 50Mbps download, 5Mbps upload speed, 650ms latency, 100GB Priority Data
- Elite: 100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload speed, 650ms latency, 200GB Priority Data
- Fusion: 100Mbps download, 5Mbps upload speed, 100ms latency, 200GB Priority Data
Here’s how the options break down with the bundle savings factored in:
| Dish plan | Hughesnet plan | Total monthly price |
|---|---|---|
| America’s Top 120 ($80) | Select ($50) | $130 |
| America’s Top 120 ($80) | Elite ($65) | $145 |
| America's Top 200 ($100) | Select ($50) | $150 |
| America's Top 250 ($110) | Select ($50) | $160 |
| America's Top 200 ($100) | Elite ($65) | $165 |
| America’s Top 120 ($80) | Fusion ($95) | $175 |
| America's Top 250 ($110) | Elite ($65) | $175 |
| America's Top 200 ($100) | Fusion ($95) | $195 |
| America's Top 250 ($110) | Fusion ($95) | $205 |
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You also have the option to remove local channels from any Dish package and save $12 per month. These can be picked up for free with a TV antenna, although they might struggle to pick up every channel in rural areas.
Are the Dish and Hughesnet bundles a good deal?
I recommend satellite internet or TV only to people living in rural areas without any other options, and that holds true for these Dish and Hughesnet bundles. Satellite is your last resort if you can’t get cable, fiber or fixed wireless -- and even DSL is usually a better option too. So if you need satellite and TV, these Dish and Hughesnet bundles are about as good as it gets.
Starlink is the fastest satellite internet provider out there, but it comes with a hefty $599 equipment cost upfront and $120 monthly for its plan. With Starlink’s speeds and unlimited data, you’d have no problem adding a live TV streaming service like Hulu Plus Live TV ($77 per month) or YouTube TV ($73). Other satellite internet companies like Hughesnet and Viasat would struggle to support these kinds of live-streaming services.
Viasat doesn’t offer any bundling discounts like Hughesnet and Dish, so you’ll have to pay full price for TV service. And with internet-only prices starting at $100 per month for 25 to 150Mbps, you’re not going to add TV for a lower price than what Dish and Hughesnet are offering.