Hughes Reaches New Pinnacle in Subscriber Numbers

Underserved Consumers Increasingly Turn to Satellite Broadband for

High-Speed Internet Access

    LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer Electronics Show -- Hughes
 Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite
 network solutions and services, today announced that the number of
 HughesNet(TM) small business and residential subscribers surpassed 325,000
 during the fourth quarter of 2006, an 18 percent growth over the same
 period in 2005, demonstrating continued steady growth in satellite
 broadband subscriptions among underserved consumers.
     "There are a considerable number of people in communities across the
 country who still are unable to receive high-speed Internet access through
 cable, DSL, or other terrestrial means," said Max Engel, Satellite and
 Broadband analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "For those consumers, satellite
 broadband offers an excellent alternative to their dial-up service."
     During 2006, the company successfully transitioned to the HughesNet
 brand and launched a new subscriber platform and service plans, offering
 subscribers enhanced quality, speeds and performance.
     "The continued growth in our subscriber base is a testament to the
 service quality we are delivering today," said Mike Cook, senior vice
 president of Hughes. "By focusing on our customers' needs and service
 innovation, we are satisfying our subscribers and further solidifying our
 position as the leader in the satellite broadband market."
     HughesNet is the country's leading two-way broadband satellite Internet
 service, available anywhere in the contiguous United States with a clear
 view of the southern sky. For more information about HughesNet, please
 visit http://www.myhughesnet.com, or call 1-866-556-9660.
     About Hughes Network Systems
     Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing
 broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises,
 governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all
 broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of
 satellite and terrestrial technologies. To date, Hughes has shipped more
 than one million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Its broadband
 satellite products are based on the IPoS (IP over Satellite) global
 standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations.
     Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA,
 Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly
 owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. ( HUGH). For
 additional information, please visit http://www.hughes.com/.
     HUGHES, HUGHESNET, and IPOS are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems,
 LLC.
 
 

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC