Hughes President Honored by Arthur C. Clarke Foundation

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, today announced that Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes, will be honored by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation with the 2012 Innovator Award at a ceremony to be held April 12th at Intelsat headquarters in Washington, D.C. Kaul is being recognized for his sustained leadership in advancing satellite communications. Also receiving awards by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation will be Vinton G. Cerf, recipient of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award and Sir Ken Robinson, PhD, with the first-ever Imagination award.

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Pradman Kaul headed up the engineering team of a Maryland start-up company that commercialized very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology in the mid-80s and created the satellite networking industry, and as CEO grew the company into billion dollar Hughes Network Systems. Kaul has been a leading force in the satellite industry spearheading the development of satellite networks and services globally, and is widely recognized for contributions in both business and technology spheres.

"This year's Arthur C. Clarke Award winners exemplify the broad expanse of themes and initiatives undertaken in the name of Sir Arthur, and reflect the continuing growth of the Foundation and its mission," Foundation chairman Tedson J. Meyers said. "We're reminded that when young Arthur Clarke published his astounding 1945 paper detailing precisely how to place a satellite in orbit, his original title was 'The Future of World Communication.' With Vint Cerf's finding the language and Pradman Kaul's strengthening the route, we have honorees whose achievements embody Clarke's dream of raising human dialogue to unprecedented levels.

"In Sir Ken Robinson," Meyers added, "we have an ideal reminder of Clarke's scope of imagination—from physicist and mathematician to world-class science fiction writer. Thus, the vitality of human imagination is key among our goals. Ken Robinson's work in that field gives us an inspiring boost this year as we turn to that work in full force."

Kaul said, "It is a great honor to be recognized by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation and to be in such distinguished company with the other honorees. Sir Arthur was a true visionary in satellite communications and I am humbled to be associated with him in this way."

Kaul was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2004, and was selected as a "Distinguished Engineering Alumnus" of the University of California, Berkeley in 1999 and "Distinguished Alumnus" at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. in 2005.  The IEEE awarded him a Third Millennium medal in 2000. In 2009, he was inducted into the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Hall of Fame and was awarded "Satellite Executive of the Year 2008" by Via Satellite magazine. Kaul holds numerous patents and has published articles and papers on a variety of technical topics concerning satellite communications.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. 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 2.8 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 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.

©2012 Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

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