Latest news with #HughesNet
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Huge cable and internet phone provider faces Chapter 11 bankruptcy
It's not a great time to be a cable company in a broad sense. For decades, cable had sort of two monopolies. First, it was the only real option if you wanted an expanded universe of channels. Related: Best Buy CEO raises red flag about startling customer behavior Yes, you could get an old-school giant satellite dish and pick up feeds from other countries, but unless you spoke multiple languages, that wasn't a viable alternative. In addition, when most major cable companies expanded, they had to spend millions to wire each market. In exchange for doing that, they asked for (and generally received) exclusivity. At first, they agreed to some pricing caps, but by the 2000s, those started going away. Cable prices were high because people had no choices and, to paraphrase the 1980s, "wanted their MTV." Now, however, the internet has made cable less needed and less exclusive. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter "Data revealed that the number of traditional pay TV households in the United States stood at around 58 million in 2023. This figure will likely drop further over the next few years and amount to less than 41 million by 2028," according to data from Statista. Fewer people pay for traditional cable. Some of that has migrated to streaming services like YouTubeTV and Sling which off cable-like packages and "skinny bundles" of channels for lower prices (albeit with the cost being much more per channel in most cases). EchoStar used to have a unique place as a cable and internet provider that offered service in markets not served by traditional. Cable and Internet service provider. The company's HughesNet brand, for example, offered satellite internet to rural areas. It was slow and pricey, but also a lifeline to the markets it served. Elon Musk's Starlink has made HughesNet irrelevant as it's now not the best choice for nearly any consumer. The company does own Boost Mobile, which operates in the crowded prepaid wireless space and Dish, the satellite/internet cable company, as well as Sling, its pure digital sister company. Boost Mobile has been an asset for the company. "Wireless' performance remains strong with 150,000 subscribers net adds in the first quarter as compared to an 81,000 net loss in the same period of 2024," CEO Hamid Akhavan said during its first-quarter earnings call. Retail stories: Costco quietly plans to offer a convenient service for customersT-Mobile pulls the plug on generous offer, angering customersKellogg sounds alarm on unexpected shift in customer behavior The company did not share subscriber numbers for its cable or internet businesses, but cable saw revenue drop by $126 million while internet revenue was down $46 million. Now, due to an issue with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) EchoStar has threatened to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. EchoStar (SATS) has said that it won't make an interest payment because of an FCC inquiry into its 5G network. "The move could potentially set the stage for EchoStar to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – and blame the FCC for it," according to Light Reading. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has launched a "a review of EchoStar's compliance with its federal obligations to provide 5G service throughout the United States per the terms of its federal spectrum licenses," Carr wrote in a letter to EchoStar's Charlie Ergen, who runs EchoStar and its Boost Mobile business. Related: Costco CEO hints at new checkout option members will love EchoStar skipped a $326 million interest payment, according to a May 30 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The company did share that it has a 30-day grace period to make the interest payment "before such non-payment constitutes an Event of Default". "This uncertainty over our spectrum rights has effectively frozen our ability to make decisions regarding our Boost business, including continued network buildout and adversely impacts our ability to implement and adjust our overall business plan and requires us to re-evaluate the deployment of our resources," EchoStar explained in today's filing. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
CNET
26-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Hughesnet Satellites Are Bringing Faster Internet to Rural America
One of the biggest names in satellite internet, Hughesnet, will now be able to offer faster speeds. Many Americans in rural areas rely on satellite internet based on where they live. For many, particularly those in remote rural areas, satellite internet is the only way to get online. Availability is pretty much the only advantage to satellite internet, but customers often have to settle for higher pricing, lower speeds, limited data allowances and high latency (the communication delay between two points, in this case, your home and the satellite when sending and receiving data) compared with other internet connection types. However, Hughesnet hopes to alleviate some of satellite internet's shortcomings by introducing faster speed tiers that include more data. Pricing is relatively low, starting at $50 to $95 per month, but the faster speeds and increased data make for a much better value than previous Hughesnet plans. There is also the potential for lower latency, low enough to support online gaming, thanks to Hughesnet's Fusion technology, which combines satellite internet with low-latency fixed wireless connections. The launch of Jupiter 3, a bus-sized geostationary satellite, made these new service tiers possible. It offers up to four times the download speed than previous standard Hughesnet plans with a jump from 25Mbps to 100Mbps. Upload speeds will see a less impressive spike, rising from 3Mbps to 5Mbps. Data allowances, meanwhile, rise from between 15GB and 100GB per month to between 100GB and 200GB. The new offerings won't have anyone switching from their fiber-optic connection or cable internet service. But they could make quite a difference in rural internet quality and capabilities for people located beyond the reach of cable and fiber service. These faster speeds give rural residents the potential to do more with their internet, like connecting more devices or streaming TV in a higher picture quality with less buffering, and the increased data means they can do more online before hitting a data cap. Hughesnet has a great track record for delivering its advertised speeds, earning praise from CNET as the best satellite ISP for reliable speeds. That's an encouraging sign that it will also deliver on the new, faster speed tiers. Here's a look at those plans. Locating local internet providers New Hughesnet plans and pricing Plan Starting monthly Max download speeds Max upload speeds Priority data Equipment fee Select $50 ($75 after 12 months) 50Mbps 5Mbps 100GB $15 monthly or $300 purchase fee Elite $65 ($90 after 12 months) 100Mbps 5Mbps 200GB $15 monthly or $300 purchase fee Fusion $95 ($120 after 12 months) 100Mbps 5Mbps 200GB $20 monthly or $450 purchase fee Show more (0 item) Shop providers at my address Source: Hughes Network Systems. Elite and Fusion advertise the same speeds and data, so why the difference in price? Select and Elite plans use a satellite-only connection. The lengthy time it takes your modem to communicate with the satellite (latency) can affect browsing, streaming and video conferencing while online gaming is virtually impossible. The Fusion plan, on the other hand, communicates with local fixed wireless towers, creating a satellite/fixed wireless hybrid service. Max speeds and data are the same, but latency is lower, supposedly low enough to support online gaming. So the main advantage to the Fusion plan — and why it costs a bit more — is the technology shortens the distance your data has to travel, resulting in a better experience in many applications while also making online gaming possible. A speed boost where it counts The upload speed jump from 3Mbps to 5Mbps in the new Hughesnet satellite internet offerings isn't particularly impressive, but it's worth noting the typical household makes far more use of download speeds compared with upload speeds. Download speeds determine how fast you can download data, such as pulling up a review of the latest iPhone, browsing social media or streaming TV and music. Upload speeds come into play when sending information to the internet, like posting to social media or hopping on a video call (though both activities often require upload speeds of less than 3Mbps). So it makes sense that download speeds would get a bigger boost while upload speeds remain relatively unchanged. That's what we use the internet for the most, so the increase from 25Mbps to 50Mbps or 100Mbps is a welcome improvement. Again, 100Mbps isn't remarkably fast, especially compared with the new wave of multigigabit plans which offer speeds up to 10,000Mbps and higher, but someone wise once noted that speed is relative. For those in rural areas with painfully slow DSL speeds or satellite speeds, 100Mbps could unlock new ways to use their connection. An upgrade from 25Mbps to 100Mbps may mean the difference between streaming in standard definition or HD and possibly 4K picture quality. Faster speeds will also allow you to add more smart devices to your network, such as streaming sticks, security cameras or a new Alexa speaker, without compromising the connection quality of other devices. Faster speeds demand more data Say you put the new speeds to the test and switch the Netflix streaming quality from standard to high definition. Your stream went from using about 1GB of data per hour to 3GB. Acknowledging the greater data need that comes with faster speed, Hughesnet increased its monthly priority data allowances to help accommodate new and increased internet activity the faster speeds allow. The Hughesnet tiers offer 100GB or 200GB of data each month, compared to the 15GB to 100GB limit of past plans, which is a good chunk of data, but many households will likely reach and surpass that limit with an average monthly use of around 652GB. Exceeding your priority data allowance won't result in added fees — Hughesnet plans have been and still are unlimited — but using standard unlimited data could come with slower speeds for the remainder of your billing cycle. If you can't handle slower speeds, additional data "tokens" can be purchased in blocks of 2GB to 50GB for $3 to $50. New internet before the new year? Hughesnet introduced the new plans at the start of 2024. Available speeds and access to Hughesnet's Fusion service vary by location. Existing Hughesnet customers may be eligible to upgrade their plan, but the change in service comes with a new 12-month contract or fulfillment of the current term agreement, whichever is longer. Read our full Hughesnet review to learn more about its satellite home internet service and see availability in your area. Further up the page, you can use our service check tool to discover plans and providers, including Hughesnet, that are available near you.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
SpaceX's Last Falcon 9 Launch Just Broke Its Own Weird Record
On Friday, May 16, 2025, SpaceX broke a record that the aerospace company itself created in the first place. During the 125th mission launched from pad 4E in California, the Falcon 9 Heavy Rocket deployed the 1000th ever Starlink satellite. This puts SpaceX one step closer to, theoretically, having the most robust satellite broadband internet service in the world. Currently, there are four players in the satellite broadband game: HughesNet, Viasat, and the fledgling Amazon-owned company, Project Kuiper. With the successful deployment of its 1000th satellite, Starlink is very clearly in the lead of this new space race. You can rewatch the relevant part of this mission on X or below: The future and viability of broadband satellite internet service remain somewhat unproven at the moment. While Starlink service is generally available throughout the United States, its global accessibility has yet to actually happen. In theory, the rollout of the latest satellites is a step closer to that future, but as of now, the goal of Starlink — to provide more affordable internet communication around the world — remains only partially realized. The next SpaceX launch, Falcon 9 GPS 3 SV-08, is targeted for late May. The goal of that mission is to "launch the eighth Global Positioning System (GPS) 3 satellite, built by Lockheed Martin," according to Spaceflight Now. The next crewed SpaceX launch is the Falcon 9 Axiom Mission 4, which will take place on June 8, 2025.
