Hughes Europe Signs Up Bentley Walker for Additional HX Hub and 2,000 Terminals to Meet Growing Middle East Demand

Expanding network helps troops in Afghanistan and Iraq stay in touch with family and friends

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Jul 12, 2010, 07:00 ET

MILTON KEYNES, England and GERMANTOWN, Md., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hughes Europe, a subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), has announced the sale of a sixth HX broadband satellite hub and an additional 2,000 HX broadband terminals to Bentley Walker, a leading international satellite Internet services provider, who is expanding its service footprint and extending its solutions to military personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.

With this purchase, Bentley Walker now will have taken delivery of over 12,000 Hughes HX-based broadband satellite terminals for delivering services across the Middle East and Afghanistan, Africa, and South America.

By adding an additional HX hub on the Eutelsat W7 satellite, the new agreement provides additional capacity, responding directly to the rapidly increasing demand for voice and data services in the region.

"Many soldiers club together in small groups to take advantage of this service," said Anthony Walker, CEO of Bentley Walker. "With Hughes' simple-to-use equipment, they can either install it themselves with our help, or use their more experienced communications engineer colleagues. And the recent addition of turbo software delivering industry-leading broadband performance means that soldiers can access a wide range of Internet voice and data services at an affordable cost."

In order to encourage maximum adoption of the service, Bentley Walker is providing free satellite systems with many of its service packages. Other commercial support includes the provision of subsidized shipping, flexible contract terms, live 24/7 technical support, and a wide range of solution packages, from single user to large multi-user LANs.

As a result, U.K. and U.S. soldiers can stay in regular touch with family and loved ones during their tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. Testimonials from the front-line endorse the importance of this support. As one U.S. soldier deployed in Iraq said, "Regular communication with home and the convenience of having Internet in your room or tent, with speeds you are accustomed to and at a price you can afford, help to raise your spirits."

"As the success of this initiative demonstrates, not all satellite Internet services are the same," said Christopher Britton, managing director of Hughes Europe. "As the demand for military, commercial and domestic use in Afghanistan and Iraq continues to grow, the combination of Hughes' robust and flexible technology backed by Bentley Walker's unrivalled quality of commercial and technical support, are ideally suited to meet the unique demands of such tough environments."

About Hughes Europe

Hughes Europe is the European operating and sales organization for Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) with facilities in Germany, the UK and Italy. Utilizing its satellite hub earth station and network operations center in Griesheim, Germany, Hughes Europe provides HughesNet® broadband satellite and terrestrial solutions to large enterprises, government organizations and small businesses throughout the continent, both directly and through a growing family of value-added service providers. These networks support rapid, reliable transmission of data, voice, video and multimedia content. For more information, please visit www.hugheseurope.com.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (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 organizations, 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.

About Bentley Walker

Bentley Walker is a leading international satellite Internet services provider based in Hayling Island, Hampshire. Bentley Walker provides a large portfolio of satellite broadband and Internet solutions to suit a wide range of users, with packages designed to meet the needs and budgets of single home users up to demanding large corporate networks.

For more information, please visit www.bentley-walker.com.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC