Hughes India and Airtel Announce New Satellite Venture to Serve Enterprise and Government Customers in India

Combination of India's leading VSAT operators brings needed scale, efficiencies and reach to enable the networks that power Digital India

News provided by

Hughes Network Systems, LLC

May 07, 2019, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SATELLITE 2019, Booth 1100 -- Hughes Communications India Ltd., (HCIL), a majority-owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite networks and services, and Bharti Airtel Limited ("Airtel"), India's leading telecommunications services provider, today announced an agreement to combine their Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) operations in India.

The combined entity will bring greater scale, operational efficiencies and market reach to serve India with secure and reliable broadband satellite and hybrid solutions for enterprise and government networks. Hughes and its subsidiaries will maintain majority ownership in HCIL, the surviving entity, and Airtel will have a significant shareholding.

"In India today, satellite is an important layer in the enterprise networks across all kinds of industries – from retail to petroleum to banking to military," said Partho Banerjee, president and managing director, HCIL. "Together with Airtel, HCIL will expand our VSAT and terrestrial operations to serve the growing demand for always on, always available network connectivity across the country."

Ajay Chitkara, director and chief executive officer, Airtel Business, said: "We are pleased to combine our VSAT operations with Hughes to serve the connectivity needs of Digital India. Combining the proven capabilities of both companies, the partnership will bring synergies to the forefront for the benefit of customers across the length and breadth of India."

The largest satellite service operator in India, HCIL provides broadband networking technologies, solutions and services for businesses and governments. Airtel is a significant

VSAT service provider in India, offering satellite connectivity to unreachable terrains and helping businesses supplement their terrestrial networks with satellite for primary and backup connectivity.

The combined entity will be positioned to introduce new VSAT and related technologies to deliver a wide range of quality products and services. HCIL will continue to serve existing HCIL and Airtel customers while focusing on serving the growing networking needs of enterprise and government customers in India.

Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

Hughes at SATELLITE 2019: Connecting People, Enterprises and Things
Hughes will exhibit at SATELLITE 2019 on May 6-9 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., showcasing how consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services, today…and tomorrow. See Hughes executives at SATELLITE 2019 for unique perspective on connecting people, enterprises and things – including GEO HTS and LEO systems; community Wi-Fi and cellular backhaul solutions; M2M, AI and IoT networks; aero and maritime connectivity; MilSatCom and more. For further information, please visit www.hughes.com/sat19.

About Bharti Airtel
Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed home broadband, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G, 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 403 million customers across its operations at the end of December 2018. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com.

About Hughes Communications India
HCIL is a majority owned subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the leading global 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 global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet^®, the world's largest satellite network with over 1.3 million residential and business customers across the Americas. For large enterprises and governments, the company's HughesON™ managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world's most widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 20 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 7 million terminals of all types to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

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. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com and follow @HughesConnects on Twitter.

About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC