The Heartland Goes Platinum: Mid-America Wireless Reaches Broadband Milestone

Missouri-based HughesNet Dealer Serves Local Community by Bringing Satellite Broadband to Areas Underserved by Landline Providers

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Hughes Network Systems, LLC

Apr 06, 2010, 08:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced that Mid-America Wireless, a member of the HughesNet® dealer network with 14 locations throughout Missouri, has reached Platinum status by successfully installing more than 60 new HughesNet subscribers within a 90-day period. Mid-America Wireless sells and installs HughesNet, the leading high-speed satellite Internet service in the U.S., bringing consumers broadband access in areas where landline solutions like cable and DSL are not available.

Many consumers in Missouri continue to struggle to obtain broadband access. According to the Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, wide areas of the state have little or no terrestrial broadband availability(1). Projections estimate broadband is currently unavailable to over 20 percent of Missouri(2). However, HughesNet is a satellite-based broadband connection that is available to anyone in the contiguous United States with a clear view of the southern sky.

"Gary Wilbers, owner of Mid-America Wireless, was instrumental in setting us up with HughesNet, and I couldn't be happier with the level of service and commitment they provided while my husband was deployed in Iraq," said Angie Reinsch. "You can measure the difference between dial-up and HughesNet in speeds and how much each service costs, but you can't put a figure on the value of all the extra emails, pictures, Web cam time, and instant messages between my husband and our family. We literally had more time together because of the faster, more reliable HughesNet connection, which made it an ideal investment."

"While there's lots of talk about solutions that may or may not become available to serve those without cable or DSL, many are realizing there is already a reliable, fast, always-on connection with HughesNet," said Wilbers. "Customers like Angie Reinsch are able to stay in touch with family members and send pictures, email, and their love thousands of miles away, because of the service. I'm very proud to achieve this distinction from Hughes and look forward to continuing to provide top-notch service to my current customers and new ones in the near future."

"Dealers like Mid-America Wireless help educate people around the country that they don't have to be stuck with dial-up and can get a high-speed connection to stay in touch with friends and family," said Allen McCabe, assistant vice president for Channel Sales at Hughes. "We are pleased to have Gary and Mid-America Wireless as part of our valued dealer network as their company consistently provides a high-quality service for our HughesNet subscribers."

With more than 500,000 subscribers, HughesNet is the leading broadband satellite Internet service in the United States. For more information about HughesNet and the range of available plans, please visit www.hughesnet.com or call 1-866-859-2268.

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.

(1) The Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, "RE: MoBroadbandNow! Middle-Mile Broadband Network," August 12, 2009

(2) The Office of Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, "Effort to expand broadband across Missouri takes big step forward with $1.9 million Recovery Act grant for mapping broadband availability, other planning measures," November 30, 2009

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC