Hughes Receives Award from Gazette of Politics and Business

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Hughes Receives Award from Gazette of Politics and Business

Hughes One of Exceptional 53 Maryland Companies Honored at Bethesda Awards Ceremony

Germantown, Md., September 22, 2008 — Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is proud to announce that it has been selected as a recipient of the Gazette of Politics and Business Exceptional 53 Business Awards. The awards program, the first by the P&B Gazette, acknowledges the top 53 businesses and organizations in Maryland based on criteria that include the recipient company's annual revenue and employee growth, as well as noteworthy product or service innovations, community service efforts, and how the companies portrayed themselves as “good places to work.”

David Edgerly, director of Economic Development for the State of Maryland commented, “I applaud these exceptional Maryland businesses that are consistently on the leading edge of innovation and doing their part to help the region through their pro-active community service programs. We owe a lot to them for the job creation they generate which helps keep Maryland at the top of the list of the best places to work in the country.”

Hughes was recognized for its exceptional growth during the last three years, as well as for its numerous community service programs including American Heart Walk, Disaster Relief through the American Red Cross, Relay for Life, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, and contributions to many other local, national, and global organizations.

“Hughes is honored to be recognized as one of Maryland's Exceptional 53,” said Pradman Kaul, chairman and CEO of Hughes. “Our success as the global leader in broadband satellite networks is all because of our people and our company's culture—which is to make Hughes a great place to work and to make a difference in our community.”

Hughes has also been recognized with the “Workplace Excellence” award each year since 2000 for its promotion of excellence in the workplace, including health and wellness programs, community involvement, diversity and flexible work arrangements. Its global leadership in broadband satellite networks and services was also recognized, highlighted by the launch of SPACEWAY™ 3, the world's first commercial satellite with onboard switching and routing, enabling new and innovative services for the various markets that Hughes serves in the US.

About the Gazette

The Politics and Business Gazette publishes weekly reaching over 17,000 business owners and politically savvy subscribers. The Newspaper focuses on the business and political news of the State of Maryland and is commonly recognized as the leading newspaper covering political activities at the state capital. The Politics and Business Gazette is the state's “must read” newspaper for news about the business and political affairs in the State. The Politics and Business Gazette is owned and published by the well-known Suburban Maryland top-rated Gazette Newspaper that distributes community newspapers in more than 50 communities in Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George 's and Carroll counties in Maryland . Boasting a readership as high as 90 percent, Gazette publications reach about 1.5 million readers. Part of the Community Newspaper Group of Post-Newsweek Media Inc., a division of The Washington Post Company, The Gazette has been publishing weekly newspapers in the Maryland suburbs since 1959.

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 1.5 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 .