Betty Gillespie loves her new hometown of Hebrew Springs, AK. But she was surprised to learn that her new community does not offer the high-speed DSL Internet service that she had come to enjoy in her previous home in Naples, FL. Reluctantly subscribing to a dial-up Internet service, Gillespie not only found it painfully slow to use e-mail and the Web, she also realized that the sluggish service was affecting her ability to run her antique collectibles eBay business. Then Gillespie learned about HughesNet™ broadband satellite service.
Gillespie is not alone. An estimated 12 to 14 million homeowners and small businesses in the U.S. currently have no access to terrestrial broadband cable or DSL. This underserved market is spurring the rapid growth of highspeed Internet by satellite for consumers and small businesses.
HughesNet, formerly known as DIRECWAY®, is a high-speed satellite Internet service that is available to everyone in the contiguous U.S. with a clear view of the southern sky. HughesNet provides individual users and small businesses a total broadband service including very high-storage e-mail, Web utilities, and a Web portal that can be customized to display news, weather, sports, and financial information. Subscribers can also use the portal to check on their usage and manage their accounts.
“Even when households or small businesses have no access to terrestrial broadband cable or DSL, they should still have the opportunity to enjoy all the features of a full Internet service with broadband speeds, no matter where they live in the country,” said Allen McCabe, assistant vice president of consumer and small business sales, North America for Hughes. “With HughesNet, people who choose to live in rural or suburban America can have the same kind of broadband capabilities, features, and support as those in the city.”
Available in six different service/pricing packages depending on individual needs, the HughesNet service comes with a compact indoor modem and a small satellite dish (less than three feet in diameter), usually installed on the roof or an outside wall of a home or business.
HughesNet service is available through the Hughes Web site, in national stores such as Circuit City, Best Buy, and Radio Shack, and through sales agents such as large direct marketing firms or broadband aggregators and resellers. The service is also available through local, independent retail stores such as Access Point in Culpeper, VA, which offer sales, service, and installation. Currently averaging more than 10,000 new subscribers each month, HughesNet recently passed the 300,000 subscriber mark for consumers and small businesses.
Since starting her HughesNet satellite service, Gillespie can once again access the information she needs in seconds rather than minutes, eliminating the frustration of dial-up and enabling the swift communications required for a successful e-business. “HughesNet is a valuable part of our business and our lives. I love the speed. I love the service. If we ever move, we are definitely taking HughesNet with us,” said Gillespie.