Hughes HX System Chosen by Kazteleradio for National Digital Television Transmission Network

Broadband Satellite Solution Monitors and Controls Terrestrial TV Towers

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Apr 22, 2014, 06:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite solutions and services, today announced that it has signed a contract to supply Kazteleradio Corporation, Kazakhstan's national broadcasting operator, with a comprehensive HX broadband satellite solution to monitor and control the country's national digital terrestrial DVB-T2 Standard television network.

Comprising two redundant HX gateways located in Almaty and Astana and 13 mesh mini-gateways, the solution includes well over 800 HX260 mesh terminals located at television towers across Kazakhstan, delivering high-quality voice and data connectivity for monitoring and control of all transmissions, making it one of the largest networks of its kind.

"We evaluated proposals from several solution providers according to the strict requirements of our technical tender," said Abai Kadraliev, Chairman of the Board of Kazteleradio. "Hughes was the only one to meet 100 percent of the criteria. The Hughes HX solution provides us with satellite channels to gather information on operations of the digital broadcast network with 827 sites. This solution has the best possible space segment efficiency while also enabling a number of important value-added services among our regional offices, such as video conferencing."

"We're proud that Hughes technology was chosen to power this important initiative in Kazakhstan," said Dr. Arunas Slekys, vice president and general manager, Russia/CIS at Hughes. "It represents one of the largest mesh TDMA networks deployed anywhere, supporting a very high level of robust operation and reliability for Kazteleradio's newly implemented digital terrestrial television system."

Two HX gateways will be operated in a geographically redundant mode to ensure high availability, with HX260 mesh broadband terminals configured at every tower location for single satellite hop connectivity, ideal for voice and video conferencing. Kazteleradio technicians can monitor proper and continuous operation of all transmissions, and are able to troubleshoot virtually every component at the remote facility when issues arise.

About Kazteleradio

Kazteleradio Corporation is the national TV and radio broadcasting operator of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It provides distribution of state and commercial TV and radio programs via terrestrial and satellite broadcast networks, operation and development of the national broadcast system.

In January 2011, Kazteleradio put into operation a satellite TV broadcast network using the DVB-S2 MPEG 4 standard, which is used to deliver programs to terrestrial digital TV transmitters, and also made it possible to provide DTH services under trade mark OTAU TV to the country's population. As of today, the total number of OTAU TV subscribers exceeds 600 000 households, which equals 13 percent of the total number of households in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Forty-five national Teleradio channels are available free of charge, and an additional 60 TV channels for pay TV services. Channels uplink and distribution are provided by three technical centers.

In July 2012, Kazteleradio put into operation a digital terrestrial TV broadcast network using the DVB-T2 MPEG 4 standard, which provides free of charge distribution of 30 national TV channels. The service is available in 1300 settlements with 51 percent of the Kazakhstan population. By 2016, the level of terrestrial digital TV service penetration is planned to increase step-by-step up to 95 percent of the population. The main center of the network monitoring and control is located in Almaty at Kok Tebe TV tower; the standby center is in Astana.

Kazteleradio Corporation has 100 percent state participation and operates under the control of the Agency on Telecommunications and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The head office is located in Almaty. For additional information, please visit www.kazteleradio.kz and www.otautv.kz.

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 4 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 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.

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SOURCE Hughes Network Systems