Hughes Network Systems is partnering up with Wal-Mart to offer a satellite-based broadband service that will be sold in 2,800 Wal-Mart stores across the country.
The broadband service is targeting customers in rural areas who don’t have access to cable or DSL. The service features download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 2 Mbps with prices starting at $59 a month.
HughesNet customers in the continental U.S. need a view of the southern skies in order for the service to function.
“Wal-Mart is perhaps the only retail store in the country that reaches as many people as HughesNet,” said Mike Cook, senior vice president, North America Division, Hughes, in a statement. “This relationship is a powerful way to make broadband a reality for the millions of Americans and small business owners who cannot get high-speed Internet access from cable or DSL providers.”
Customers can find the HughesNet service in the electronics department of Wal-Mart stores. In a majority of stores, it will also be available through the “Digital Connection Kiosk,” or Wal-Mart customers can take home the HughesNet literature and contact the Wal-Mart Call Center to be connected with a Hughes installation specialist.
HughesNet lays claim to more than 350,000 subscribers for its two-way broadband satellite service. Its broadband satellite products are based on the IPoS (IP over Satellite) global standard.