In Partnership with Facebook Connectivity, Hughes Installs 1,000th Satellite-enabled Express Wi-Fi Hotspot in Latin America

Hughes Express Wi-Fi Hotspots Provide Affordable Internet Access for Approximately 500,000 Citizens Otherwise Unconnected

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Hughes Network Systems, LLC

Mar 10, 2020, 08:07 ET

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SATELLITE 2020, Booth 1201 – Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, announced today that, in partnership with Facebook Connectivity, the company has now implemented 1,000 Express Wi-Fi hotspots in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Each Hughes Express Wi-Fi Hotspot is backhauled over satellite links, enabling merchants to offer affordable Internet access on a pay-per-use basis to about 500 people in their rural community where terrestrial service is too expensive or simply unavailable.

Video on Hughes Express Wi-Fi solution and the benefits it brings to the Santa Barbara village in Brazil and throughout Latin America.

Thais Gomes Silva (pictured) and her family own a market in Santa Barbara village in rural Brazil that offers Hughes Express Wi-Fi. The service provides much-needed Internet connectivity to areas underserved by wireline or wireless infrastructure. Hughes Network Systems has implemented 1,000 Express Wi-Fi hotspots in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru as a result of the latest phase of its partnership with Facebook Connectivity.

With Hughes Express Wi-Fi people can easily access the Internet where they live or work using their personal handheld devices and enjoy all its benefits, including social services, job searches, education, healthcare and commerce. Each hotspot is configured with a compact, easy to install Hughes satellite VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) and Wi-Fi equipment powered by Facebook Connectivity's Express Wi-Fi platform. Local merchants that establish these hotspots bring much-needed connectivity to citizens while also realizing a business benefit in a grass roots model.

"Before we had the Wi-Fi, we had to stand by the mango tree or go across the street to try to get a signal," said Thais Gomes Silva, whose family owns the market in Santa Barbara village in rural Brazil that offers Hughes Express Wi-Fi. "Now, the Internet access is better, and so are sales in our grocery store." Located in a rural part of Brazil, the town is about two hours' drive from São Luís, the capital of Maranhão, and has limited or no terrestrial broadband infrastructure.

"Across Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – even in the most remote and rural places – local merchants are enhancing their businesses by offering affordable, high-speed Internet access to their customers," said Bhanu Durvasula, vice president, International Division at Hughes. "This solution changes lives for the better, making it possible for people to connect with family and friends, seek healthcare, reach online training and conduct business in ways they never could before."

"The fast-paced adoption of the Hughes Express Wi-Fi Hotspots supports the mission of Facebook Connectivity to bring more people online," said Paul Monte, technical program manager, Express Wi-Fi, Facebook. "It's exciting to see so many deployments with Hughes and to work together to bring this viable solution to more local retailers and Internet users across Latin America."

Hughes Express Wi-Fi is one of several Community Wi-Fi Hotspot solutions offered by Hughes. Including the latest installations in Latin America, Hughes customers have deployed more than 33,000 satellite-enabled Community Wi-Fi hotspots in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico and Russia, bringing the benefits of Internet access to more than 26 million people around the world. With a Community Wi-Fi hotspot, any user can access the Internet with a Wi-Fi capable handheld or laptop, either on a prepaid or government-subsidized (USO) basis, depending on the service model. The solution can readily be deployed virtually anywhere within the satellite footprint, including areas unserved or underserved by wireline or wireless infrastructure.

Watch this video for more on the benefits Hughes Express Wi-Fi brings to the Santa Barbara village in Brazil. For more information, please visit the Hughes website.

Hughes at SATELLITE 2020: Making the Connected Future Possible
Hughes will exhibit at SATELLITE 2020, March 10-13, 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. See Hughes executives at SATELLITE 2020 for the latest technologies and solutions for GEO HTS and NGSO systems; Community Wi-Fi Hotspots and cellular backhaul; aero and maritime connectivity; military SATCOM; the latest in hybrid terrestrial-satellite technologies, and more. For further information, please visit www.hughes.com/sat20

About Facebook Connectivity
Connectivity is at the heart of Facebook's mission to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Critical to this mission is high-quality internet access, which gives people a voice and creates opportunities to share knowledge that can strengthen local communities and global economies. Facebook Connectivity works closely with partners including mobile network operators, equipment manufacturers and more to develop programs and technologies—including Express WiFi, Magma, and Terragraph—that increase the availability, affordability and awareness of high-quality internet access, bringing more people online to a faster internet. To learn more, visit: https://connectivity.fb.com.

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 1.4 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 40 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