Compare HughesNet vs. WildBlue
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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 (formally Direcway)
and WildBlue.
 HughesNet
vs. WildBlue Overview |
|
|
WildBlue |
HughesNet |
|
Total satellite
installations in United Sates |
25,000 |
300,000 |
|
Total satellite
installations worldwide |
25,000 |
800,000 |
|
Number of operational
satellites |
1 |
9 |
|
Years providing
Satellite Internet service |
1 year |
10 years |
|
Years in business
operation |
5 years |
30 years |
|
Manufactures
satellite system equipment |
No |
Yes |
|
Manufactures
communications satellites |
No |
Yes |
|
Services US
government and US military |
No |
Yes |
|
Services
large-business, enterprise (Fortune
1000) customers |
No |
Yes |
|
Services small to
medium business customers |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Services home-office
and residential customers |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Number of network
operations centers(NOC) |
1 |
3 |
|
Owner and manager of
network operations center (NOC) |
No |
Yes |
|
Installation
available nationwide |
No |
Yes |
|
Financing available
for residential plans |
No |
Yes |
Proprietary network
security and
encryption infrastructure |
No |
Yes |
|
Uses Internet
Protocol Over Satellite standard (IPos) |
No |
Yes |
|
System requires
customer to install software |
Yes |
No |
|
Limitation on number
of computers connected to system |
Yes |
No |
|
Minimum service
commitment |
12 month |
15 month |
|
System warranty |
12 months parts
90 days labor |
15 months parts
and labor |
|
Cost for warranty
service calls (Labor) |
$75/hr after 90
days of service |
Free |
|
Fair Access Policy (FAP)
restriction |
30 day refresh+ |
4 hour refresh++ |
|
HughesNet
vs. WildBlue - Service Plan
Comparison |
| |
WildBlue |
HughesNet |
|
Tier 1 service plan
-
Equipment-Installation/Monthly
cost
- Upload/Download speeds
|
Value Pak
$299.95 / $49.95
128Kbps / 512Kbps |
Residential
$499.99* / $59.99
128Kbps / 700Kbps |
|
Tier 2 service plan
-
Equipment-Installation/Monthly
cost
- Upload/Download speeds
|
Select Pak
$299.95 / $69.95
200Kbps / 1.0Mbps |
Professional
$499.99* / $69.99
200Kbps / 1.0Mbps |
|
Tier 3 service plan
-
Equipment-Installation/Monthly
cost
- Upload/Download speeds
|
Pro Pak
$299.95 / $79.95
256Kbps / 1.5Mbps |
Small Office
$899.99* / $99.99
300Kbps / 1.5Mbps |
|
Tier 4 service plan
-
Equipment-Installation/Monthly
cost
- Upload/Download speeds
|
None |
Business Internet
$899.99* / $199.99
500Kbps / 2.0Mbps |
|
* |
HughesNet system pricing shown after
$100 mail-in rebate. |
Fair Access Policy (FAP)
|
+ |
The
WildBlue Fair Access Policy (FAP) is
based on a rolling 30 day limit on
data usage per customer called a
usage threshold. If you exceed the
FAP threshold, your bandwidth
(speed) will be reduced for the
remainder of the 30 day period when
your system quota refreshes and you
are again within your limits. During
this period, your bandwidth will be
reduced to 28Kbps until your system
refreshes. |
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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 to 56Kbps
until your system refreshes. This
typically takes from 1-4 hours
depending on your usage and always
refreshes within 24 hours. |
|
WildBlue
Fair Access Policy (FAP) Monthly
Usage Thresholds |
| |
Value Pak |
Select Pak |
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 |
|
|
Home |
Professional |
Small
Office |
Business
Internet |
|
Download Threshold * |
175 MB |
350 MB |
500 MB |
1250 MB |
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Recovery Rate ** |
50 Kbps |
56 Kbps |
150 Kbps |
400 Kbps |
|
* |
Download
Threshold is the volume of data that
can be downloaded continuously
before the Fair Access Policy may
restrict the download speed. |
|
** |
Recovery
Rate is the rate in kilobits per
second, at which a service plan
recovers the Download Threshold. FAP
quotas typically refresh in a
relatively short time period (1-4
hours) |
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