Hughes Network Systems recently announced that Public Technology Inc. (PTI) has acknowledged that satellite broadband services like HughesNet™ are best suited to address the needs of rural consumers, small businesses and local governments. The organization also stated that no other technology currently available addresses the geographic digital divide as effectively as satellite broadband technology.

PTI's endorsement of satellite broadband for rural communities was issued through the organization's white paper, "Economics of Broadband Access for Underserved Consumers and Businesses." The white paper outlines a variety of broadband options available to consumers at large, but points out that many Americans cannot now, nor will they be able to access in the future, many of the most popular technologies like DSL or cable based solely on geography.

"One of the greatest challenges in serving the rural community is educating them on the availability of and advances in satellite broadband technology," said Mike Cook, senior vice president, Hughes. "The PTI white paper not only effectively captures these benefits but represents excellent advancements in helping rural communities understand the options available to them-especially for those who believe that if they can't get cable or DSL, they can't get broadband."

According to the PTI paper, there has been "dramatic growth of two-way fully interactive satellite broadband offerings. Today small businesses are increasingly recognizing the cost benefits of satellite broadband [and] there continue to be technological breakthroughs that increase speed and bandwidth, reliability, and quality of service at extremely high levels."

PTI Executive Director, Alan Shark says that according to his organization's research, "no rural broadband development program should be considered complete without including the cost/benefits of two-way satellite broadband services that are available everywhere and are available now." Shark also said that satellite broadband services like HughesNet are critical to local government and small businesses' ability to stay competitive in an increasingly wired world.

Hughes' Cook added, "Hughes looks forward to collaborating with PTI to ensure that the needs of rural consumers, small businesses, and local government are met so that they too can gain a competitive economic edge and fully enjoy the benefits of broadband access."

If you live in an area where other forms of high-speed Internet are not available, check out offers from HughesNet to get broadband access for your home.

Do you live in a rural area where most Internet providers don't offer service? Satellite high-speed Internet service could be the answer to your problems. And now is a great time to try it. Starting now, new subscribers to HughesNet high-speed satellite Internet servicewill enjoy a significant reduction in price on Hughes equipment and standard installation. Now consumers in under-served areas can get fast broadband service at a new, affordable price.

According to Frost and Sullivan, it is estimated that about 40 percent of the population in North America is not reached by terrestrial broadband, such as cable Internet and DSL. For these consumers, satellite broadband is an ideal solution. In fact, more than 327,000 small businesses and consumers already use the HughesNet satellite broadband service for Internet connectivity.

The HughesNet satellite broadband service is available anywhere in the continental United States to anyone who has an unobstructed view of the southern sky. It is not dependent on telephone or cable companies rolling out broadband access lines to hard-to-reach or remote areas.

Combined with the current $100 mail-in rebate available through June 30th, new HughesNet subscribers who sign up for service plans, will be able to purchase Hughes equipment with standard installation for only $299.98. This represents a $100 reduction in price. Monthly service plans start as low as $59.99.

HughesNet is an always-on, two-way broadband satellite service without the need for a telephone line. All HughesNet customers have access to a state-of-the-art e-mail system, a personalized start page, five e-mail accounts with 2 GB of storage per account, spam and virus filtering, and easily accessible customer support services.

Check out the HughesNet page for more information or click here to order now.

HughesNet parent company Hughes Network Systems recently announced that it has awarded a launch services contract to Arianespace for the launch of its next-generation SPACEWAY™ 3 satellite. The Ariane 5 heavy launcher will launch SPACEWAY 3 into geosynchronous transfer orbit from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. The launch date is projected for August 2007.

The SPACEWAY 3 satellite is the first in the world to switch and route broadband traffic on board, enabling single-hop communications between satellite terminals, eliminating the requirement for traffic to be routed through a central hub earth station. The SPACEWAY 3 satellite's advanced antenna technology allows the dynamic formation and shaping of spot beams, enabling the flexible management of capacity and delivery of true bandwidth-on-demand services. The SPACEWAY 3 satellite will operate in the globally assigned Ka-band spectrum and will deliver a wide range of new high-speed communications services for IP data and multimedia applications to North American enterprise, consumer, and government customers.

"This is a very exciting time for Hughes," said Pradman Kaul, chairman and CEO of Hughes. "With the launch of SPACEWAY 3, Hughes will enter a new era as a satellite system operator, augmenting our market leadership in delivering broadband satellite services worldwide. We are confident that Arianespace will provide a reliable launch service and eagerly anticipate providing new, value-added solutions to our customers in the coming months."

"Arianespace considers it a great honor to have been selected by the world's largest satellite broadband company, Hughes, to place the SPACEWAY 3 satellite into orbit," said Arianespace CEO, Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Arianespace's SPACEWAY 3 mission for Hughes will launch robust new broadband communications services delivered via satellite across North America."

For more information, check out the press release.

Frost & Sullivan selected Hughes Network Systems as the recipient of the 2007 Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year Award in the space and communications market. This Award lauds its introduction of the HughesNet brand, which integrates the best of both satellite and terrestrial technologies for all of Hughes' broadband solutions to each of its customer segments.

Hughes invented the very small aperture terminal (VSAT), pioneered the commercialization of the satellite industry, and has made the shift to HughesNet, which has made it a full communications service provider rather than a provider of merely satellite-based solutions. It enables its customers to maximize the benefits of multiple broadband solutions by providing both terrestrial and satellite technologies.

There is a growing trend among both small and large networks to use hybrid technologies, depending on the individual application and location. Through HughesNet, customers can build and manage their complete network through a single service provider.

"This provides Hughes with a significant advantage over more traditional satellite providers that compel customers to deal with multiple Internet service providers (ISPs) or commit to a completely satellite-based network," says Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Tim Street. "With increased competition between VSAT providers and terrestrial ISPs, Hughes cleverly transitioned to a full managed services provider, HughesNet."

Hughes has organized its HughesNet enterprise and government offerings around three main services: HughesNet managed network services, HughesNet digital media services, and HughesNet enhanced services. HughesNet now provides consumers with services such as customized start pages, domain hosting, personalized Web addresses, blogging, and advanced hosting along with broadband Internet access.

Globally, Hughes's transition to HughesNet has allowed it to add enormous value to both existing and potential customers by helping them to optimally use the potential of different broadband technologies. In addition, Hughes also holds an advantage over competitive providers (both terrestrial and satellite) that only offer single technology solutions.

"The growing trend of hybrid networks is only expected to become more popular as different technologies are employed for niche applications, especially among large corporate and franchise networks," notes Street. "Hughes is perfectly situated to take advantage of this growing trend and continues to be a leader in the satellite community."

For more information, see the Hughes press release.