Hughes Satellite Connectivity Supports Habitat for Humanity in the Wake of Superstorm Sandy

GERMANTOWN, Md., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, continues to provide satellite broadband Internet and voice services to Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, NY in its Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts. These essential communications are supporting the rebuilding of over 110 homes damaged by the hurricane in Breezy Point, NY and are the result of a combined effort by Hughes, Cisco Systems and the Global VSAT Forum.

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After Superstorm Sandy decimated Breezy Point, Habitat for Humanity volunteered to help the residents rebuild their homes, setting up a command center nearby to coordinate the effort. Flooding and power outages had knocked out base stations, towers and switching centers of terrestrial network providers, while the Hughes satellite network withstood the disaster well with limited or no reported disruption to service.

"The combined assistance from Cisco Systems, the Global VSAT Forum and Hughes was invaluable, and to this day Hughes and Cisco are supporting our disaster operations in this devastated area," said Jim Killoran, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Westchester. "This support has been critical to our success in helping to alleviate suffering and get families closer to being in their homes."

Hughes broadband service is provided through its new Internet Access Solutions, powered by the EchoStar XVII^® satellite with JUPITER^™ high-throughput technology—a next generation Ka-band satellite system with fast Internet speeds, up to 15 Mbps. "Satellite connectivity has again proven its resilience in the face of a disaster," said Tony Bardo, Assistant Vice President of Government Solutions at Hughes, "And we're honored to be playing this important part in supporting Habitat for Humanity's noble efforts to help families rebuild their lives."

Cisco established a TacOps team on site supporting customers in need by providing a switch to connect their computers, Wi-Fi for wireless access and a call manager for phones. "Cisco's TacOps teams are deployed to support communications in the acute phase of emergencies, such as in the wake of Superstorm Sandy," said Tim Woods, Technical Support Manager - TacOps at Cisco. "It has been a pleasure to work side by side with the Habitat for Humanity team, providing vital communications to both staff and volunteers."

The Global VSAT Forum's (GVF) Disaster Preparedness Registry, established following the devastating earthquakes in Haiti in 2010, helped to identify appropriate support resources. David Hartshorn, Secretary General of the GVF commented, "Habitat has not only proven itself to be a valuable organization to rebuild homes and lives, but also is clearly a trailblazer in leveraging satellite technology for disaster communications."

For more information on how to get involved with the rebuilding effort, please visit www.habitatwc.org or e-mail [email protected].

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 3.3 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.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.

©2013 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes, HughesNet, and Jupiter are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC. EchoStar is a registered trademark of EchoStar Corporation. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC