Hughes Europe and Vizada Agreement Brings BGAN Benefits to European Enterprises Worldwide

Broadband 'mobile office' expands Hughes portfolio of Managed Network Services for European Enterprises

News provided by

Mar 24, 2010, 06:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hughes Network Systems, Ltd. (Hughes Europe) today announced an agreement with Vizada, the leading independent global distribution partner of Inmarsat's Broadband Global Network (BGAN) service. The agreement expands Hughes Europe's portfolio of Managed Network Services for major European enterprises to include delivery of broadband 'mobile office' applications worldwide.

"We have built on our strong relationship with Vizada to deliver a comprehensive solution that enables large organisations to provide employees on the road and in remote locations with broadband data and voice access, improving their operational effectiveness," said Christopher Britton, Managing Director, Hughes Europe. "Incorporating the Vizada BGAN service expands our powerful Managed Services portfolio, enabling us to meet all enterprise communications needs with supporting SLAs."

Vizada's BGAN service is based on its leading global IP network, specifically developed for mobile satellite broadband applications. A team of dedicated engineers constantly improves and upgrades the network in line with requests from customers, which include the world's largest media companies, government and military bodies, and non-governmental entities.

"Our solution is based on the rugged Hughes 9201 BGAN platform, which is one of the highest bandwidth terminals available and supports WLAN connectivity in addition to other standard data interfaces," confirmed Lars-Steinar Bakke, vice president of Sales, Europe & CIS, Vizada. "It is ideal for either a single user with bandwidth-hungry applications such as live video or for small, remote teams needing a temporary office with high-speed connectivity to the corporate network. Users are no longer constrained by location, as the BGAN service enables full corporate network and Internet access, including email, telephony, streaming and high-speed file transfers."

The Hughes 9201 BGAN terminal, in combination with Vizada Solutions™, which run over this network, enable any organisation to set up a broadband mobile office in minutes from anywhere in the world, providing simultaneous voice and high-speed data access to the Internet and corporate intranets. Rugged and flexible, the Hughes 9201 is designed to operate in extreme conditions, is easy to use in both portable and semi-fixed formats by simply plugging in a phone or laptop, and connects seamlessly to the Internet and corporate intranet via the preferred VPN application.

About Vizada

Vizada is an independent provider of global satellite communications services. The company, which was formed by the merger of Telenor Satellite Services and France Telecom Mobile Communications, offers mobile and fixed connectivity services from multiple satellite network operators through 400 service provider partners. These services are packaged with tailored Vizada Solutions™ and delivered through Vizada's global teleport network -- five state-of-the-art satellite facilities strategically positioned around the world—to add business value to basic connectivity services.

Vizada works with the broadest range of network providers in the industry, including: Inmarsat, Iridium, Thuraya, Eutelsat, Intelsat, Loral, New Skies, and SES Americom. Vizada's 200,000 end users benefit from access to satellite communications services. Vizada's customers operate in a range of industries, including merchant shipping, emergency response organizations, government and military units, global media companies, telecoms and Internet service providers, and business, military & civil aviation. For additional information, please visit www.vizada.com.

About Hughes Network Systems, Ltd. (Hughes Europe)

Hughes Network Systems, Ltd. is one of the subsidiaries comprising Hughes Europe, the operating and sales organisation in the European market for Hughes. Other subsidiaries are located in Germany and Italy. Utilising its satellite hub earth station and network operations centre in Griesheim, Germany, Hughes Europe provides HughesNet® broadband managed network solutions to large enterprises, government organisations, and small businesses throughout the continent, both directly and through a growing family of value-added service providers. For additional information, please visit www.hugheseurope.com.

About Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes)

Hughes is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organisations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC