Hughes JUPITER™ System Selected for National 'Digital India' Initiative

IPSTAR International will operate market-leading JUPITER System, powering delivery of broadband services throughout India

News provided by

Hughes Network Systems, LLC

May 21, 2017, 20:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., May 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IPSTAR International, a premier Asia- Pacific telecommunications company and wholly owned subsidiary of satellite operator THAICOM Public Company Limited, has chosen the JUPITER™ System from Hughes Network Systems LLC, (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite networks and services, to extend the reach of broadband throughout India.

IPSTAR will operate the JUPITER System over the THAICOM 4 high-throughput satellite (HTS) in India, enabling government-owned service provider BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) to offer fixed and mobile services as part of the government's "Digital India" initiative, raising the quality of life by extending broadband to rural and urban areas across the country.

"IPSTAR has chosen the Hughes JUPITER System as Thaicom's core networking platform of a comprehensive broadband solution to BSNL," said Amrit Pal Singh, general manager, IPSTAR India. "Integrated operationally with IPSTAR as a high throughput satellite, JUPITER's combination of efficient bandwidth usage and support for new Internet standards like IPv6 give us an unbeatable engine to deliver high-quality broadband cost-effectively in areas unserved or underserved by terrestrial providers. It will help ensure that as India transitions to a digital economy there is no gulf between rural and urban areas. IPSTAR broadband connectivity provides telecom operators across Asia Pacific with the ability to expand their networks, launch new broadband services and reach underserved areas quickly and cost-effectively."

New JUPITER-powered services will be five times faster than any satellite Internet access currently available in India, offering speeds up to 100 Mbps. It will also be the first deployment of the highly bandwidth-efficient DVB-S2X standard in India.

"Internet connectivity is a critical imperative in all countries, whether with developed or developing economies," said Ramesh Ramaswamy, senior vice president and general manager of International at Hughes." Our JUPITER technology is proving itself on four continents as the choice of leading operators to help close the so-called 'digital divide' which is indeed the primary goal of 'Digital India'—connecting residences, businesses and governments with broadband services on par with the best in the world."

Incorporating a second-generation System on a Chip (SoC-2) and new family of broadband VSATs (Very Small Aperture Terminals), the JUPITER System yields improved operating economics for satellite service providers, notably through highly efficient allocation of bandwidth available for sale to customers.

About IPSTAR International
IPSTAR International is wholly owned by Thaicom Public Company Limited, one of Asia's leading satellite operators. IPSTAR provides cost-effective satellite broadband capacity and services to the region's telecom industry, businesses, and government administrations. Launched in 2005, the IPSTAR satellite was the first high-throughput satellite (HTS) ever launched into orbit. IPSTAR broadband connectivity provides telecom operators with the ability to expand their networks, launch new broadband services and reach underserved areas quickly and cost-effectively.
For more information please visit http://www.ipstar.com/

About BSNL
BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.) is one of India's largest telecommunications companies, with 94 million cellular and 21.9 million broadband customers. It is the only service provider making focused efforts bridge India's rural-urban digital divide in digital communication services. For more information please visit http://www.bsnl.co.in/.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®, the world's largest satellite network with over 1 million residential and business customers across North America and Brazil. For large enterprises and governments, the company's HughesON® managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world's most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 20 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 5.5 million terminals to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

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. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com and follow @Hughes_Corp on Twitter.

About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC