Internet provider · 50-STATE · Satellite
HughesNet
Legacy geostationary satellite. Real-world latency makes video calling and modern apps painful. Starlink should be your first satellite pick today — only stay on HughesNet if Starlink hasn't reached your address yet.
- Parent company
- EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS)
- Founded
- 1996
- Headquarters
- Germantown, MD
- Service types
- Satellite
- States served
- 50 states: AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
- ZIPs covered
- ~31,000
- Residential subs
- ~980,000 (2026-Q1)
- Gateway fee
- $15/mo
- Install fee
- $250
- Contract
- 24 months
Plans & pricing
| Tier | Down | Up | Price | Data cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fusion 50 | 50 Mbps | 5 Mbps | $50/mo | 100 GB |
| Fusion 100 | 100 Mbps | 5 Mbps | $75/mo | 200 GB |
| Fusion 200 | 200 Mbps | 5 Mbps | $100/mo | 400 GB |
Notes: Legacy geostationary satellite — high latency (~700ms). The 'Fusion' tier hybridizes satellite + 5G to get latency down. 24-month contract with cancellation fees.
Coverage detail
- Anywhere with a clear southern sky
- No address-level availability gaps
- Real ground for use: addresses where Starlink isn't yet available and no terrestrial broadband exists
Ownership & corporate history
Ownership type: publicly-traded (since 1996)
Previously known as / acquired: DirecPC · Hughes Network Systems · DirecWay
Subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. EchoStar also owns Dish Network. HughesNet is online-/phone-only for service and has no consumer retail.
Customer service & support
- Customer service
- 1-866-347-3292
- Technical support
- 1-866-347-3292
- Billing
- 1-866-347-3292
- Support portal
- https://www.hughesnet.com/support
- Billing portal
- https://my.hughesnet.com/
- Mailing address
- Hughes Network Systems, 11717 Exploration Lane, Germantown, MD 20876
Returning your equipment
Accepted return methods: ups-store-prepaid-label · installer-pickup
You must return: HughesNet modem, Power supply, (Dish + mount usually stay — confirm by phone)
⚠ Do NOT drop equipment at these stores
These branded retail stores share the carrier's name but cannot accept equipment returns for this service. Confirm before driving:
- NONE — HughesNet has no retail
Common mistake: The satellite dish itself usually stays on your roof — only the modem gets returned. Confirm by phone what you need to send.
Where you can actually go in person
Confirmed company-operated stores that can sign up service AND accept equipment returns. Authorized-retailer addresses are tagged separately because they cannot always handle returns.
-
Any UPS Store — HughesNet prepaid label UPS Store partner
Any UPS Store, (nationwide), — —
Accepts equipment: HughesNet modem, Power supply
Branded as: The UPS Store
Pull prepaid label from HughesNet support or your account.
Does HughesNet serve your address?
Use our ZIP-coverage tool to confirm availability — we cross-reference live FCC Form 477 data with the carrier's own footprint map.
Check coverage at my ZIP →Sources & verification
Last verified 2026-06-06. Records over 180 days old are auto-flagged for re-verification.