Hughes Wins Rs. 246Mn EDUSAT Project for Government of Punjab

NEW DELHI, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Communications India, Ltd. (HCIL), a subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the world leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced that it has been contracted by the government of Punjab to supply and operate a comprehensive, satellite-based network to deliver quality education content to students in educational institutions throughout the state using the INSAT-4CR satellite. The win marks the largest ever in India for a satellite-based education network by any VSAT service provider.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/NE29456LOGO )

Hughes will provision the satellite-based network to connect approximately 2960 schools with educational content and lectures either pre-recorded or set up as live telecasts from studios based in Mohali and broadcast across Punjab. 

Kahan Singh Pannu, director general of school education and secretary and project director for the EDUSAT project, Punjab Government, said, "The state government is committed to providing the necessary infrastructure and facilities required for the promotion of education that will enable the teaching faculty to give their best to the students. This will supplement curriculum-based teaching training, provide greater community participation, increase access, strengthen education efforts and provide access to new technologies. The EDUSAT project initiated by the Punjab Government will prove an asset in providing teaching and imparting a quality education at the school level. The education officers in all the districts of Punjab are directed to make all the preparations and ask the school heads to inform the students about this course, so that more and more students can benefit from this initiative."

Shivaji Chatterjee, vice president at Hughes India, said, "We are proud that the Punjab Government has chosen Hughes for this very worthy EDUSAT project. India holds a strong position in the knowledge economy today, in large part due to its major investment in education over the years. In this program we'll leverage best-of-breed technology and project management practices to ensure the most rapid and economical solution to help close the digital divide across the state."

This important development emphasizes HCIL's capability to provide high quality and secure satellite networking solutions using its award winning technology and services. HCIL is also implementing strategic projects with other state governments including Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Andaman, Lakshadweep, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, J&K and Orissa.

About Hughes Communications India
HCIL is a majority owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the world's largest provider of broadband satellite networks and services. HCIL is the largest satellite service operator in India providing a comprehensive range of broadband networking technologies, solutions, and services for businesses and governments, including Managed Services to meet every communications challenge. More information is available at www.hughes.in.

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.

©2013 Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

SOURCE Hughes Communications India, Ltd.