Hughes Announces Partnership in OneWeb’s Innovative Global Satellite Broadband Initiative to Close the Digital Divide
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, today announced a major technology and marketing partnership with OneWeb to close the digital divide by bringing affordable broadband service to millions of households, schools and organizations worldwide.
Hughes joins seven other global corporations in OneWeb’s ground-breaking communications initiative, including Qualcomm Incorporated, Virgin Group, Airbus Group, Bharti Enterprises, The Coca-Cola Company, Grupo Salinas, and Intelsat. OneWeb’s system will deploy hundreds of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites to enable delivery of high quality, low-latency broadband services, both fixed and mobile, as a combined offering with cellular networks.
“OneWeb is a game-changing, next-generation satellite system,” said Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes. “We have been looking at every detail and are excited to participate in the ground system design, development and production. In addition, we will employ the OneWeb network to deliver services to our global base of customers and distribution partners.”
Along with financial investment by its parent company, EchoStar, Hughes will play a particularly important role by developing the ground system, including gateways and terminals. OneWeb’s network of LEOs will be complementary to the Hughes high-throughput JUPITER™ System which operates over geostationary satellites and powers its market-leading HughesNet® high-speed satellite Internet service—now with over 1 million subscribers in North America. Through its service businesses in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and India, and its worldwide base of customers and distribution partners, Hughes will help accelerate the adoption of satellite broadband for people and businesses unserved and underserved by terrestrial services on every continent.
“The dream of fully bridging the digital divide is on track to be a reality in 2019,” said Greg Wyler, founder of OneWeb. “Together with our committed and visionary founding shareholders we have the key elements in place; regulatory, technology, launches, satellites, as well as commercial operators in over 50 countries and territories. We are committed to solving one of the world’s biggest problems—enabling affordable broadband Internet access for everyone. We are excited about the next phase, which will involve working with countries, telecom operators and aid organizations to help them realize their goals of open and ubiquitous access.”
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the global leader in satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative solutions and a comprehensive suite of HughesON™ managed services for enterprises and governments worldwide. HughesNet is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 4.8 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.
Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations and digital TV solutions. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com.
About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite and video delivery solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its EchoStar Satellite Services, EchoStar Technologies Corporation and Hughes Network Systems business segments.
For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.
