Mostly then its a matter of price?No, it's a combination of data and price.
if the modem is wifi only and doesn't have ethernet ports, how can customers run speed tests and expect to get accurate results?I don't think it would be WiFi only. It should still have LAN ports, just possibly not the "internet" port, like the one you can connect a router to like we have now, so we should at least still be able to direct connect. After all, without the ability to connect with a LAN, they wouldn't be able to get nearly as many customers, as lot of people just use a desktop.
Bummer is right but I'll bet costs are as high as a geo-sync orbit.
Haven't seen any numbers posted for EchoStar XIX but ViaSat posted the up coming ViaSat-2 bird at $625 million plus another $107 million for launch and insurance costs. That doesn't even factor in building or upgrading Gateways.
While the Gateway investment can be "reused" the satellite has a typical lifespan of 15 years.
That gets into some serious money and $130 per month doesn't go far towards the next payment.
Remember the ground based Big Boys already told us by their absence that we rural users are not worth their investing in despite a lower investment cost that can be used over a much greater period.
A matter of perspective I guess.
jezra,
I know that you know ... I only posted because someone, somewhere is going to "squawk", feel that their "entitlement" has been violated and have to head off at High Speed to their Safe Place in order to protect their fragile sanity. 🙂
I agree 100%.
The FCC has a legal definition of "Broadband" and Hughesnet does not meet that definition.
I seem to remember Hughes getting its feet dirty when they used the term "broadband unbound" in some advertising in years past.
I do have a choice though .... I could move to where Broadband is available.
Life is all about options, all about trade-offs. Everything is about compromise, nothing is about "entitlement".
Now where is my next Social Security check!
Now where is my next Social Security check!On a Direct Express card that you can't use to make online payments to Hughesnet. LOL.
I know, I chose that word deliberately 🙂