HughesNet
Satellite Dish Modem

WildBlue Satellite Internet vs. HughesNet

There are a variety of service providers that provide data services and Satellite Internet to large businesses and government agencies. For the small to medium sized business or residential customer, the choices narrow down to a few companies. The two most prominent are HughesNet and Wild Blue.

General Overview of Satellite Providers HughesNet Wild Blue
Total satellite installations in United Sates 400,000+ 340,000
Total satellite installations worldwide 1,200,000+ 340,000
Number of operational satellites 12 2
Years providing Satellite Internet service 12 years 3 years
Years in business operation 30 years 6 years
Manufactures satellite system equipment Yes No
Manufactures communications satellites Yes No
Services small to medium business customers Yes Yes
Services home-office and residential customers Yes Yes
Owner and manager of network operations center (NOC) Yes Yes
Limitation on number of computers connected to system No No
Minimum service commitment 24 month 24 months
System warranty (Parts) 24 months parts and labor 24 months parts, 90 days labor
Fair Access Policy (FAP) Maximum  Recover Time 24 hour refresh¹ See below²
Satisfaction Guarantee, Return Policy 30 Day No
30 Day return Fee $200 No
30 Day return Refund on hardware Yes No
HughesNET Home vs. Value Plan Comparison HughesNet Wild Blue
Upfront Cost (after rebate) $299.98* $99.95
Monthly Service $59.99 $39.95
Cost per Kbps $0.059 $0.078
Download Speeds 1000kbps 512kbps
Upload Speeds 128kbps 128kbps
Fair Access Policy 24 hour¹ Rolling 30-day²
Unlimited downloading (3AM to 6AM, EST) Yes No
Number of emails included 5 5
Mailbox size 2,000MB 7GB
Included Labor Warranty 24 Months 90 Days
Included Parts Warranty 24 Months 24 Months
HughesNET Professional vs. Select Plan Comparison HughesNet Wild Blue
Upfront Cost $299.98* $99.95
Monthly Service $69.99 $69.95
Cost per Kbps $0.058 $0.069
Download Speeds 1200kbps 1000kbps
Upload Speeds 200kbps 200kbps
Fair Access Policy 24 hour¹ Rolling 30-day²
Unlimited downloading (3AM to 6AM, EST) Yes No
Number of emails included 5 5
Mailbox size 2,000MB >7GB
Included Labor Warranty 24 Months 90 Days
Included Parts Warranty 24 Months 24 Months
HughesNET ProPlus vs. Pro Plan Comparison HughesNet Wild Blue
Upfront Cost $299.98* $99.95
Monthly Service $79.99 $79.95
Cost per Kbps $0.049 $0.053
Download Speeds 1600kbps 1500kbps
Upload Speeds 250kbps 256kbps
Fair Access Policy 24 hour¹ Rolling 30-day²
Unlimited downloading (3AM to 6AM, EST) Yes No
Number of emails included 5 10
Mailbox size 2,000MB >7GB
Included Labor Warranty 24 Months 90 Days
Included Parts Warranty 24 Months 24 Months
Warranty Repair Labor cost with in 90 days Free Free

* HughesNet & WildBlue prices are shown after instant savings and mail-in rebates.
Home, Pro, ProPlus

Fair Access Policy (FAP)

  1. The HughesNet Fair Access Policy (FAP) is based on cumulative download threshold for a set volume of data and is not based on a 30 day period. While you are using up your allotted bandwidth, your system is also refreshing. If you exceed the FAP threshold, your bandwidth (speed) will be reduced for a period of time until your system quota refreshes and you are again within your limits. During this period, your bandwidth will be reduced until your system refreshes. For more information, see HughesNet Fair Access Policy.
  2. The WildBlue Fair Access Policy (FAP) is based on a rolling 30-day limit on data usage per customer called a Usage Threshold. Threshold. As shown in the table below, this threshold varies based on the service plan you select with WildBlue. WildBlue measures your upload and download data usage ("Actual Usage") to determine if your total Actual Usage, as aggregated over the previous 30 days ("Usage Total"), exceeds the Usage Threshold for the service plan that you selected. If at any time your Usage Total is above the Usage Threshold, your usage has violated the FAP and WildBlue will reduce your WildBlue access speeds, typically to 128 kbps in the downstream (from the Internet to you) and 28 kbps in the upstream (from you to the Internet), and you may experience a loss of connectivity during peak usage periods (collectively, "Reduced Access"). Once your speeds have been reduced, you must decrease your usage to bring your Usage Total to 70% or less of the Usage Threshold. Once your Usage Total reaches this level, your access speeds will be restored to the original speed levels by the next day. For more information, see WildBlue Fair Access Policy.

WildBlue Fair Access Policy (FAP) Monthly Usage Thresholds:

  WildBlue Value Pak WildBlue Select Pak WildBlue Pro Pak
Upload Threshold (MB) 2,300 MB
(76 MB/day avg.)		 3,000 MB
(100 MB/day avg.)		 5,000 MB
(166 MB/day avg.)
Download Threshold (MB) 7,500 MB
(250 MB/day avg.)		 12,000 MB
(400 MB/day avg.)		 17,000 MB
(566 MB/day avg.)
  1. Upload Threshold is the volume of data that can be uploaded during the previous 30 days before the Fair Access Policy may restrict the user's speeds.
  2. Download Threshold is the volume of data that can be downloaded during the previous 30 days before the Fair Access Policy may restrict the user's speeds.

HughesNet - Fair Access Policy (FAP) Parameters

  HughesNet Home HughesNet Pro HughesNet ProPlus HughesNet Elite HughesNet ElitePlus HughesNet ElitePremium
Download Threshold 200 MB 300 MB 425 MB 500 MB 500 MB 500 MB