Hughes Delivers Distance Education to the Amazon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hughes Delivers Distance Education to the Amazon

HughesNet Broadband Satellite Service Aiming to Reach 10,000 Students Throughout the Brazilian State of Amazonas

Germantown, Md., October 3, 2007 Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite solutions and services, announced today that its Brazilian operating subsidiary has completed the rollout of HughesNet^® broadband satellite service in the state of Amazonas, including the installation of more than 200 Hughes HN terminals. The Amazonas Board of Education (SEDUC AM) is using the service to deliver educational programs under the On-Site Middle School with Technology Mediation project to students in rural communities without a middle school to attend, or where the existing school does not have enough space to accommodate them all.

According to Delio Morais, president of Hughes Network Systems Americas, Many of Brazil's citizens live in remote areas with little opportunity for education. With the HughesNet broadband satellite service, we are able to overcome the obstacle of geography and deliver distance education to students wherever they live.

In early August, the Educational Media Center of Amazonas was opened in Manaus at the State Education Board. Specially trained teachers of different disciplines deliver their classes, which are transmitted in real-time to the Hughes-operated NOC (network operations center) and then broadcast to students in rural communities in 42 municipalities via two-way satellite technology. Organized as an interactive IPTV system, students report to the teachers in Manaus , ask questions, and receive real-time feedback, assisted by 260 on-site teachers. Utilizing the HughesNet two-way satellite service, student-teacher interaction is achieved as though they were physically present at the same location.

Every classroom features a technology kit that includes a Hughes HN broadband satellite terminal, multimedia PC, LCD TV, laser printer, and a special battery in case of power outages.

Morais continued, The greatest challenge for Hughes was in accessing the rural communities in Amazonas to install the satellite equipment. But it was overshadowed by the importance of bringing education to the teenagers and adults in more than 200 communities in Amazonas who will benefit from this project.

According to the 2006 Brazilian Statistical Directory for Open and Remote Education ( Anuario Brasileiro Estatistico de Educacao Aberta e a Distancia 2006) that is prepared with the support of ABED (the Brazilian Association of Remote Learning), the number of institutions authorized by educational authorities to provide distance learning has grown by 30.7 percent, from 166 in 2004 to 217 in 2005. In 2004, more than 300,000 students in Brazil studied at institutions that provide distance learning. In 2005, this number increased by 62.8 percent, totaling 504,204 students.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC 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. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Its broadband satellite products are based on the IPoS (IP over Satellite) global standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations.

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 .