Inmarsat Selects Hughes to Develop New BGAN M2M Terminal

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Oct 06, 2011, 09:58 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has selected Hughes Network Systems to develop a new machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal for its BGAN service.

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Hughes, a market leader in the M2M sector, will develop the new 9502 BGAN M2M terminal by building on its successful 9201-M2M platform. The BGAN M2M service will offer an end-to-end IP data capability for real-time applications including smart metering, SCADA, monitoring and other infrastructure telemetry solutions. Planned for launch in Q1 2012, Inmarsat will target the low-cost M2M service at the utilities, oil & gas, and retail banking markets.

"We believe there is significant appetite in a number of markets globally for a low-cost stable platform to support short-burst data and the increased connectivity needed in fixed monitoring applications," said Drew Brandy, Director of Land Services at Inmarsat. "A specific opportunity we will target is the smart grid initiative in the energy sector, with its requirement for data connectivity and information sharing across widely dispersed infrastructures. But there are a number of other markets with a similar need for IP-based real-time cost-effective visibility across their operations."

"BGAN has already proven itself as a high-quality and reliable service, with high-availability via the global Inmarsat-4 network, and we feel it will offer an attractive solution for a range of M2M requirements," he said.

"Hughes is proud to be selected by Inmarsat to develop the new 9502 BGAN M2M terminal, building on our successful 9201-M2M product," said Graham Avis, vice president and general manager of Hughes San Diego. "The combination of reliable connectivity to unattended remote sites, a global service area, and an end-to-end IP based data path makes this an ideal solution for a wide array of machine-to-machine communication needs."

Hughes has been a developer and manufacturer of terminals for the award-winning BGAN service since its launch in 2005, with several successful portable and vehicular models in its portfolio.

About Inmarsat

Inmarsat plc (LSE: ISAT) is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. The company's services are delivered through a global network of more than 400 distribution partners and service providers operating in 100 countries. For the year ended 31 December 2010, Inmarsat plc had total revenue of US$1,171.6 million (2009: US$1,038.1 million) with an EBITDA of US$696.1 million (2009: US$594.2 million). For more information, please visit www.inmarsat.com.

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 2.5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 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.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC