FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hughes CEO to Ring NASDAQ Closing Bell, Celebrating Global Leadership in Broadband Satellite Solutions

Germantown, Md., January 17, 2007—Hughes Communications, Inc. (HUGHES) today announced that Pradman P. Kaul, President and Chief Executive Officer, will ring the closing bell of the NASDAQ Stock Market on Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. EST, celebrating Hughes’ September 2006 listing on NASDAQ.

“Presiding over the NASDAQ market close is a perfect way for us to acknowledge and thank all who have contributed to our success over the years, including our customers, employees, partners, and shareholders,” said Kaul. “We celebrate the innovative spirit of Hughes people—they’re the reason why we’ve always been the market leader in broadband satellite networks and services worldwide since we introduced the first Ku-band VSAT network over 20 years ago.”

Hughes recently announced that its HughesNet™ service in the US had surpassed 325,000 small business and residential subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2006, an 18 percent growth over the same period in 2005.

“In 2006, our consumer segment in the US showed exceptional growth and market viability. We anticipate continuing this success through 2007 by penetrating more of the underserved market and delivering new products and services,” added Kaul.

About the NASDAQ Closing Bell
The NASDAQ Stock Market rings the closing bell at 4 p.m. EST. The ceremony will be available for viewing through NASDAQ’s Webcast at www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_about.stm, beginning at 3:50 p.m. Viewers can scroll to the bottom of the page to access the MarketSite Live Web cam link. Windows Media Player is necessary to view the Web cam.

About Hughes Communications, Inc.
Hughes Communications, Inc.(Hughes) is the parent company of Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for 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 the IPoS (IP over Satellite) global standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. For more information, please visit www.hughes.com.

###

©2007 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes, HughesNet, and IPoS are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.