2016 Satellite Internet Providers Review
2016 has been a busy year for satellite internet providers. Many companies have renewed plans offered for consumers.
This review covers top 4 providers offering best deals on the market today.
Hover the bars on the chart below for more information.
Starting 2016, Exede launched new option with download speeds up to 25 Mb per second. This is a real achievement, 10Mbps ahead of closest competitors. This option is called 'Boost 25' and it can be added to any plan for extra $10 per month. Currently available to state of Florida and West Coast, soon to be available nationwide.
High download speed is important but even more important is Data Allowance each company and plan is offering. Each company has a policy to limit or slow down your internet connection once you exceed your data. HughesNet and dishNet will shut down your service under basic plans until next billing cycle comes and data counter resets. More expensive plans of HughesNet and dishNet, and any plan from Exede and Wildblue will slow you down but your service will continue to work.
Among the rest Exede and HughesNet are competing the most. Hughes offers 50 Gb of data at night time hours (2am - 8am). This is great for downloading a movie or large file. Exede, on the other hand give much more data upfront and gives you 'Liberty Pass' to stay online after all monthly data is used at good download speeds 1-5 Mbps.

Exede
- Monthly Price
- $5999–$14999
- Download Speed
- 12–25 Mbps
- Upload Speed
- 3 Mbps
- Anytime Data
- 10–150 GB
- Bonus Data
- Unlimited/Slower speeds

Wildblue
- Monthly Price
- $5999–$14999
- Download Speed
- 12 Mbps
- Upload Speed
- 3 Mbps
- Anytime Data
- 10–30 GB
- Bonus Data
- Unlimited/Slower speeds

Hughes Net
- Monthly Price
- $4999–$8999
- Download Speed
- 5-15 Mbps
- Upload Speed
- 1-2 Mbps
- Anytime Data
- 5–50 GB
- Bonus Data
- 50 GB (2am - 8am)

Dish Network
- Monthly Price
- $4999–$7999
- Download Speed
- 5-10 Mbps
- Upload Speed
- 1 Mbps
- Anytime Data
- 10–60 GB
- Bonus Data
- none for basic plan,
Unlimited/Slower speeds
-
$49.99–$149.99
-
10–150 GB
-
Unlimited @
1-5 Mbps speeds -
12–25 Mb/s
-
3 Mb/s
-
$9.99 Monthly
$199.99 prepaid for 24mo
$299.99 prepaid lifetime -
24 Months
Exede Plans and features
Plan/Details | Liberty 12 | Liberty 18 | Liberty 30 |
---|---|---|---|
Advertised Price | $49.99/Mo | $69.99/Mo | $99.99/Mo |
Regular Price | $69.99/Mo | $99.99/Mo | $149.99/Mo |
Max Download Speed | 12–25 Mbps | 12–25 Mbps | 12-25 Mbps |
Max Upload Speed | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps |
Anytime Data Allowance | 12 GB | 18 GB | 30 GB |
Bonus Data Allowance | Unlimited 1-5 Mbps download speed |
Unlimited 1-5 Mbps download speed |
Unlimited 1-5 Mbps download speed |
Exede options
Available only to new Exede12 customers in limited areas.
* No charge for pole mounts on service ordered directly from ViaSat through 844-605-2422 toll-free number or online order form at exede.com
Boost your max download speed to 25 Mbps
Get 150 GB anytime data every month.
All required service calls at no extra charge. Normally $95 per service call. Only $5.99/mo. No charge first 90 days.
-
$49.99–$89.99
-
5–50 GB
-
50 GB
(2am - 8am) -
5–15 Mb/s
-
1-2 Mb/s
-
$9.99 Mo
$399.98 prepaid lifetime -
24 Months
HughesNet Gen4 Plans and features
Plan/Details | Choice | Prime Plus | Pro Plus | Ultra |
---|---|---|---|---|
Advertised Price | $39.99/Mo | $39.99/Mo | $69.99/Mo | $79.99/Mo |
Regular Price | $49.99/Mo | $59.99/Mo | $79.99/Mo | $89.99/Mo |
Max Download Speed | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 15 Mbps |
Max Upload Speed | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps | 2 Mbps | 2 Mbps |
Anytime Data Allowance | 5 GB | 10 GB | 15 GB | 50 GB |
Bonus Data Allowance | 50 GB (2am - 8am) |
50 GB (2am - 8am) |
50 GB (2am - 8am) |
50 GB (2am - 8am) |
HughesNet options
Free standard installation applies to new Lease subscribers only. Not valid with Purchase option. Limited-time offer.
All plans except 'Choice' come with SmartBrowsing, allowing you to continue using service even after Anytime data allowance is exceeded.
-
$49.99–$79.99
-
5–15 GB
-
5-50 GB
(2am - 8am) -
10 Mb/s
-
2 Mb/s
-
$10 Mo
no purchase available -
24 Months
dishNET Plans and features
Plan/Details | 5 GB Internet | 10 GB Internet | 15 GB Internet |
---|---|---|---|
Advertised Price | $39.99/Mo | $49.99/Mo | $69.99/Mo |
Regular Price | $49.99/Mo | $59.99/Mo | $79.99/Mo |
Max Download Speed | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
Max Upload Speed | 1 Mbps | 1 Mbps | 2 Mbps |
Anytime Data Allowance | 5 GB | 10 GB | 15 GB |
Bonus Data Allowance | 5 GB (2am - 8am) |
10 GB (2am - 8am) |
50 GB (2am - 8am) |
Data
Data allowance is the most important examination you need to be aware of. What use will your service make if you can't use it or it runs at dialup speeds? Do the math and evaluate your monthly internet usage and choose plan wisely. Full length movie downloads (e.g. NetFlix), video steaming, torrents and other P2P sharing programs, web cams, backup services will eat up data fast. How much do you need is up to you. Anytime data currently available range from 5 Gb to 150 Gb. If you used to 'city' internet connection with DSL or cable provider, even 150 Gb per month does not sound like much (5 Gb per day). Good thing is if Bonus data is available. That is when all Anytime data is used, you're still online but at slower speeds. As a last resort, we may purchase more anytime data if really needed.
Speed
All current plans offer good speeds, starting at 5 Mbps for download and 1 Mbps for upload. Picking a faster plan may not make your experience noticeably much better but may add other important values, like data allowance. Every provider has an acceleration technology on the ground gateways to help you eliminate latency effect and make pages load faster. If you like to enjoy fast paced online games where response time is critical, satellite internet connection is definitely not best for it.
Price
The price range for satellite internet has come down very close to affordable level and comparative to DSL and cable. Many providers offer promotional prices and combined with other services offered (phone, satellite TV), you may save significantly over the contract term.