Pegasus Communications subsidiary Pegasus Broadband has added a lower-cost, one-way Internet-over-satellite system to the high-speed, two-way Pegasus Express service it announced in December. The Pegasus Express Classic is based on Hughes Network Systems' existing DirecPC product and will use a satellite downlink to feed the PC receiver and a standard telco dial-up as the backchannel, as opposed to the two-way satellite modem in the Pegasus Express model. "It's a high-value, lower-cost entry product," says Pegasus Broadband Vice President Chris Walczak, who notes that there are 30 million U.S. homes without high-speed Internet access. The Pegasus Express Classic, which includes a DirecPC hybrid dish that can also be used to receive DirecTV television programming, will sell for $149 with a $59.95 usage fee, or $199 with a $49.95 monthly usage fee if used in conjunction with a DirecTV subscription. The two-way Express model will sell for $499 with a $69.96 monthly fee, or $399 with a $59.95 monthly fee if the consumer makes a one-year commitment with a DirecTV subscription.
