HughesNet Internet in Montana at a Glance
HughesNet delivers satellite internet across 100% of Montana, offering plans from 25 Mbps to 200 Mbps starting at $49.99 per month. As a satellite provider, HughesNet is especially valuable in Montana's rural and underserved communities where cable and fiber infrastructure has not been built, providing reliable broadband via its orbiting Jupiter satellite system.
About HughesNet Satellite Internet in Montana
HughesNet is one of the nation's leading satellite internet providers, delivering broadband service to customers across Montana using its advanced Jupiter satellite system in geostationary orbit. Unlike cable or fiber, HughesNet does not require ground-based infrastructure to reach your home. A small satellite dish installed on your property communicates directly with a satellite 22,000 miles above the equator, meaning service is available anywhere in Montana with a clear view of the southern sky, from Billings, Missoula, and Great Falls to the most remote corners of the state.
Montana is the fourth-largest state by area but ranks 44th in population, creating one of the most challenging broadband environments in the country. For these communities, HughesNet provides a modern broadband connection that simply cannot be matched by the limited or nonexistent wired options available. Montana features the Rocky Mountains in the west, the Great Plains in the east, the Missouri River headwaters, and Glacier National Park, and HughesNet's satellite technology overcomes these geographic barriers by beaming internet directly to your home regardless of terrain or distance from urban infrastructure.
Montana epitomizes the rural broadband challenge. Cattle ranches spanning thousands of acres, homesteads in remote mountain valleys, and small towns along Highway 2 near the Canadian border all lack wired broadband options. HughesNet satellite is often the only broadband service that can reach Montana's most isolated residents.
HughesNet Plans Available in Montana
| Plan | Price | Download | Upload | Data | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HughesNet Select | $49.99/mo | 50 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 100 GB | No contract |
| HughesNet Elite | $74.99/mo | 100 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 200 GB | No contract |
| HughesNet Fusion 100 | $94.99/mo | 100 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 200 GB | No contract |
| HughesNet Fusion 200 | $174.99/mo | 200 Mbps | 25 Mbps | Unlimited | No contract |
| HughesNet Select 15GB | $49.99/mo | 25 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 15 GB | No contract |
| HughesNet Fusion 50 | $74.99/mo | 50 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 100 GB | No contract |
HughesNet offers six plans in Montana, ranging from the budget-friendly Select 15GB plan at $49.99 per month with 25 Mbps downloads to the premium Fusion 200 plan at $174.99 per month with 200 Mbps downloads and unlimited data. The Fusion plans combine satellite connectivity with a cellular network component to significantly reduce latency compared to standard satellite service, which typically has latency around 600 milliseconds. This hybrid approach makes Fusion plans better suited for video conferencing, online gaming, and other latency-sensitive applications.
All HughesNet plans in Montana are available without a contract, giving you the flexibility to change or cancel service without early termination fees. The standard satellite plans (Select, Elite) provide solid download speeds of 50-100 Mbps with data allowances of 100-200 GB per month, while the Fusion lineup offers the same speeds with the added benefit of lower latency through cellular bonding technology.
Prices as shown on FCC Broadband Labels as of February 2026. Equipment lease fees, taxes, and installation charges may apply. Actual speeds may vary based on network conditions, satellite congestion, and weather.
HughesNet Availability in Montana
HughesNet satellite internet is available to virtually 100% of Montana residents and businesses. Because the service relies on a satellite dish communicating with an orbiting spacecraft rather than cables in the ground, there are no coverage gaps based on distance from a central office or cable head-end. Montana's 1.1 million residents are spread across 147,040 square miles, giving it a population density of fewer than 8 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the nation.
Western Montana's mountain valleys can create line-of-sight challenges, but most properties can achieve satellite reception with south-facing dish placement. The eastern plains offer ideal, unobstructed reception. Professional installation ensures your dish is optimally positioned for the best possible signal quality at your specific location in Montana.
To verify availability and check which plans are offered at your Montana address, you can visit the HughesNet website and enter your location. In nearly all cases, all six plans listed above will be available regardless of where you live in the state.
Is HughesNet Right for Your Montana Home?
HughesNet is an excellent choice for Montana residents in areas where cable, fiber, or fixed wireless broadband is unavailable or unreliable. If you live in a rural area and your current internet options are limited to slow DSL or mobile hotspots, HughesNet's speeds of 25 to 200 Mbps represent a significant upgrade. The service is also a solid backup internet option for homes that experience frequent outages on their primary wired connection.
However, if you have access to cable or fiber internet in your area of Montana, those technologies typically offer lower latency and may provide better value for heavy internet usage like competitive online gaming or frequent large file uploads. HughesNet's standard satellite plans have latency around 600ms, which is noticeable for real-time applications but perfectly adequate for web browsing, email, streaming video, and social media. The Fusion plans reduce this latency substantially by incorporating a cellular network component.
Montana ranchers and rural residents streaming Grizzlies football or keeping up with rodeo events find HughesNet delivers internet to places where the nearest cable connection may be 100 miles away. For most household internet activities including streaming HD video, browsing the web, working from home on most applications, and video calling on platforms that buffer well, HughesNet delivers reliable performance across Montana.
HughesNet Montana FAQ
Is HughesNet available everywhere in Montana?
Yes. HughesNet satellite internet covers virtually 100% of Montana, including the most rural and remote areas of the state. As long as your property has a clear view of the southern sky for dish installation, HughesNet can provide service. This makes it one of the most widely available internet options in Montana, reaching communities that cable, fiber, and fixed wireless providers do not serve.
What is the fastest HughesNet plan available in Montana?
The fastest HughesNet plan available in Montana is the Fusion 200, which delivers download speeds up to 200 Mbps and upload speeds up to 25 Mbps for $174.99 per month. This plan includes unlimited data and uses HughesNet's Fusion technology, which combines satellite and cellular connectivity to provide lower latency than standard satellite plans. It is HughesNet's premium tier and is suitable for households with multiple users and devices.
Does HughesNet have data caps in Montana?
Most HughesNet plans include monthly data allowances rather than hard caps. The Select 15GB plan includes 15 GB, the Select and Fusion 50 plans include 100 GB, and the Elite and Fusion 100 plans include 200 GB. When you exceed your data allowance, your speeds are reduced but service is not cut off. The Fusion 200 plan offers unlimited data with no throttling. Data usage resets at the beginning of each billing cycle.
What is HughesNet's latency like in Montana?
Standard HughesNet satellite plans have latency of approximately 600 milliseconds (0.6 seconds) due to the distance the signal must travel to the satellite and back. This is inherent to geostationary satellite technology and affects all satellite internet providers similarly. HughesNet's Fusion plans (Fusion 50, Fusion 100, and Fusion 200) significantly reduce latency by incorporating a cellular network component for time-sensitive data, making them a better choice for video conferencing, VoIP calls, and other real-time applications.
Is HughesNet good for streaming in Montana?
Yes, HughesNet is capable of streaming video in Montana. Plans with 50 Mbps or higher download speeds can handle HD streaming on platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+. The Elite and Fusion plans at 100 Mbps can support multiple simultaneous streams. While the latency may cause a brief delay when starting a video, once buffering begins, streaming quality is generally smooth and consistent. For households that primarily use the internet for streaming entertainment, the 200 GB data allowance on the Elite plan typically supports 80-100 hours of HD streaming per month.
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