Hughes Adds Encore Networks as Broadband Alliance Technology Partner to Enhance Utility Solution

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hughes Adds Encore Networks as Broadband Alliance Technology Partner to Enhance Utility Solution

Hughes Certifies Line of Industrially Hardened Routers for Support of Legacy Serial Protocols, SCADA Applications, VPN, and High Reliability Networking

Germantown, Md., May 29, 2009— Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite networks and services, today announced that Encore Networks has been added as a Technology Partner to the Hughes Broadband Alliance Program to enhance its recently announced Utility Solutions offering. Hughes certified Encore's complete line of rugged and commercial-grade BANDIT ™ satellite routers for use with the Hughes suite of utility solutions, including Business Internet with VPN, business continuity, and private network solutions.

A key market for Hughes Utility Solutions is the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) needs of utility companies. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has mandated a set of CIP requirements to ensure the security of data transmitted between generation and transmission sub-stations and control centers. This is forcing many utilities to upgrade to more secure and reliable broadband solutions. By utilizing Encore's serial protocol to IP support capabilities, Hughes can provide secure, high-performance end-to-end satellite connections for legacy SCADA networks, thus meeting mandated requirements.

In addition to SCADA support, Encore's commercial-grade routers work seamlessly with Hughes Business Internet services, allowing remote locations to connect to the Internet securely over an industry standard IPSec VPN. Unlike traditional VPN solutions which can degrade performance, Encore's patented Selective Layer Encryption (SLE) technology all but eliminates the performance degradation normally associated with running IPsec VPNs over satellite connections. This is ideal for any business that requires secure Internet access for hard-to-reach locations beyond the DSL and cable footprint, including remote utility infrastructure locations.

In addition to secure Internet connections, Hughes can provide easy-to-deploy non-Internet-based, private network solutions using Encore's technology to support legacy serial protocols, thus avoiding costly upgrades of legacy infrastructure. With Hughes and Encore, the utility industry can enjoy high-performance, secure broadband access without expensive network upgrades.

As part of their ongoing Smart Grid initiatives, utility companies are looking for ways to ensure their networks obtain near 100% reliability. Encore's industrial-hardened routers have built-in disaster recovery/failover features that work seamlessly with Hughes business continuity offerings. As a result, Hughes can provide utilities true end-to-end, path-diverse backup via satellite or 3G wireless to guard against primary network outages.

“Our Hughes Utility Solutions are designed to provide utilities cost-effective, secure broadband wherever they need it—regardless of location, as well as to provide near 100% network uptime through path diverse wireless backup of their primary network,” said Doug Medina, senior director of marketing at Hughes. “Whether the need is to migrate to standards-based IP from legacy serial applications, SCADA applications or VPN, Encore's technology is a natural complement to our offering and one that has already been well received in the market. The BANDIT's rugged construction allows for installation in outdoor enclosures and electrical sub-stations in the most remote locations with harsh environments.”

“We are very excited to have been chosen by Hughes as a technology partner,” said Matt Girard, senior director of business development for Encore Networks. “Together, we ensure regulatory compliance today and enable utility companies to be ready as future smart grid technology evolves.”

Visit Hughes at Booth No. 114 and Encore at Booth Number 800 at the upcoming UTC TELECOM 2009 event in Las Vegas, June 1st -3rd, http://www.utctelecom2009.utc.org .

About the Hughes Broadband Alliance Program

In order to provide more value to our business customers, Hughes has developed the Hughes Broadband Alliance Program. Technology Partners work to get their products and services certified by Hughes to ensure the highest quality end user experience when their offerings are used in conjunction with HughesNet^® services. Members gain access to all generally available information of the Hughes Broadband Alliance, as well as targeted information and tools to help them optimize their offerings.

To apply to become a Technology Partner, complete and submit the Hughes Broadband Alliance Request form. Go to www.hughes.com select the ‘Resellers & Distributors' tab and then go to the ‘Technology Partners' section.

About Encore Networks

Encore Networks www.encorenetworks.com is a leader in secure, IP+Legacy Virtual Private Network (VPN) routers for converged and broadband solutions. Carriers and enterprises, both large and small, rely on Encore's innovative VPN and security solutions for wireless, satellite, and terrestrial networks that support both legacy devices and Internet Protocol (IP) routing standards. Encore's industrially hardened (rugged) routers are Smart Grid enabled and designed for mission critical applications in harsh environments with wide temperature ranges found in utility substations, industrial plant floors, mobile transportation, construction sites, and point-of-sale. Encore's advanced signaling and voice inter-working solutions support circuit-to-packet migration of voice services, on premises or in the central office. Encore is a member of the Virtual Private Network Consortium (VPNC), the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC), and the ZigBee Alliance.

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 1.9 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.