Viasat is also one of the top satellite internet service providers in the United States, which delivers fast internet services to individuals in all parts of the United States, including rural areas. However, Viasat service is not cheap because of the various features the company offers to its clients. But here in this article, you will learn the hidden truth of Viasat internet costs and things you should know before subscribing.
Upfront Costs
Viasat comes with some charges that are required to be paid at the beginning when subscribing to the service; these are the equipment costs and installation fees. This includes:
Equipment Fees: Viasat’s satellite internet cost begins at $299.99 for basic equipment. This is inclusive of what you want to hook up to their network, such as a satellite modem/router. The fee for this service is $250; however, you can pay the fee upfront or $100 per month over 3 months, interest-free.
Installation Fees: The price that customers are charged for professional satellite dish installation varies with the company and the services offered; however, with Viasat, the charges are $99.99. In some areas, they can offer a free or discounted installation as a promotion for the rooms.
Other Fees: Other miscellaneous charges may come your way from time to time, such as an activation fee of $14.99 or a fee as a shipment cost of your equipment. One has to search for promotions when booking to enquire if any additional charges can be removed.
Honestly, therefore, plan on forking out anywhere between $400 and $500 just to get hooked up to Viasat service and get the connection up in your house. And that is before even dipping into their wallets to pay for what they are here for—the Internet connection!
Monthly Service Costs
This is where Viasat becomes even more expensive for most households in the United States, especially for those located in rural areas. Their advertised monthly service prices seem reasonable, but there’s often a big catch: Their advertised monthly service prices seem reasonable, but there’s often a big catch:
Basic 12Mbps Package: They offer various packages, of which the cheapest is $49.99/month for the Exede Classic.
25Mbps Package: Starting from $69.99/month for the Exede Essential plan.
100Mbps Package: $150 per month (Exede Evolution)
The only catch is that all those plans have pretty rigid monthly data limits ranging between 10GB and 150 GB. If, for instance, you have a plan that allows you a certain amount of data usage per month, if you go over that limit, your speeds are limited to under 1 Mbps for the rest of the month, even if your billing cycle is longer than a month. To put that into perspective, it is more than the 200+ GB the average household in the US consumes per month.
To get truly unlimited data with Viasat with no throttling, you’ll pay a lot more: To get truly unlimited data with Viasat with no throttling, you’ll pay a lot more:
Bronze 12 Plan: They have to spend more than $100 a month on club dues, drinks, and meals and to foot the bills for exotic dancers.
Silver 25 Plan: While the current services are cheap, costing as little as $150 per month, this is not the case with the current services, which cost as much as $150 per month.
Gold 30 Plan: It means that for them to be financially viable, they have to generate at least $250 per month in revenues.
As we can observe, the unlimited plans are quite a bit more expensive than their respective Viasat plans, as they are almost double (or even quadruple) the amount for higher speeds. Such households need an un-metered data plan to support their streaming, browsing, and free internet usage.
Additional Fees
That’s not it yet and let me tell you why! Viasat tacks on all kinds of extra fees that further drive up the monthly cost: Viasat tacks on all kinds of extra fees that further drive up the monthly cost:
Leased Equipment Fee: >$10 per month and if leasing modem/router
DVR Service Fee: $6–$15 per month for their TV receiver packages.
Premium Channel Fees: $6–$20 per month for extra channels such as HBO, CINEMAX, etc.
Early Termination Fees: Cancelling service before the agreed-upon time can cost up to $400.
If all the possible fees are considered, it comes to $ 399 per month for satellite Internet and TV service among Viasat users.
Bottom Line Costs
In this case, we have to take into account the initial activation fees, monthly charges, extra fees for data usage, and any other services offered by Viasat satellite Internet that may add up to the total cost range.
Minimum: In total, the cost is approximately 125 USD per month, but this figure does not include fees for exceeding the data limit. Requires strict internet rationing.
Average: It will cost about $200–300 a month with average internet usage. Data rationing increases costs when you hit your data cap and anytime you are making calls or browsing the internet.
Maximum: It is as expensive as $400+ per month to go fully unlimited with a couple of premium services, equipment, etc.
Indeed, the technology underlying Viasat is quite stunning, yet the fact is satellite Internet is significantly more expensive than cable or DSL Internet for the vast majority of people. The data caps are rigid and fixed, the speeds are much slower, and the fees—well, it is alarmingly easy to break the bank. Thus, it is highly advisable to think twice before signing any contract and measuring the costs and restrictions.