Executive Corner

Engineering Innovation

Q. At the heart of Hughes is its engineering. What are some of the exciting breakthroughs for Hughes?

A. Hughes engineering has delivered several exciting innovations recently. Our newest “System on a Chip,” or SoC, is designed with advanced VLSI technology to power the next generation of JUPITER™ very small aperture terminals (VSATs). We’ve also made breakthroughs in software and firmware algorithms, which are propelling highperformance Mobile Satellite Systems and boosting our leadership position in Ground-Based Beam Forming. Other examples include implementing superfast digital hardware and more efficient mechanical packaging that underpin new versions of broadband gateways. Ultimately, these types of engineering innovations enable our customers to gain more capacity and capabilities with improved systems reliability and cost-effectiveness.

Q. The Advanced Development Group, or ADG, helps drive many of our innovations. Can you tell us about this group and their contributions to Hughes?

A. Our Advanced Development Group is always looking to the future, pushing the technology envelope, exploring new and innovative ways to design next-generation systems and products. One recent example is the development of the scrambled code multiple access (SCMA) waveform. SCMA is a technique for minimizing latency of satellite transmissions and for operating in a highly secure Web browsing environment. In this issue of Channels, there’s a great article that explains how Hughes technologies, such as SCMA, are meeting a wide range of government customer requirements for enhanced mobility and portability.

Q. What significant industry trends do you see?

The overwhelming strong growth of broadband dwarfs other trends, fueled by global demand for high-speed Internet access. Which translates into more bandwidth, over wider coverage areas, for both fixed and mobile applications. This aligns well with the investments we continue to make in advancing the state-of-the-art in broadband Ka-band technology: to deliver ever more bits and ever more functionality at lower cost.

Q. What is the Hughes strategy regarding emerging markets?

A. We try to take a longer-term view when looking at markets, focusing on those areas where we believe there will be sustainable demand for broadband and a manageable regulatory environment. For example, in early 2016, the EUTELSAT 65 West satellite will be launched and operational. Our high-throughput JUPITER technology will be deployed for the ground system and customer premises terminals. This will open up a host of opportunities for consumer service in Brazil.

Q. Which Hughes product and technology launches are you most excited about, and why?

A. The upcoming EchoStar XIX/ next-generation JUPITER System launch will provide higher capacity than any existing broadband satellite system. That is really exciting. In addition to meeting demand for HughesNet® Gen4 high-speed satellite Internet service in North America, it will provide the flexibility to support a wider range of applications and technology advances.

Q. What would you like to tell the NEW engineers as they enter the workforce?

A. At Hughes, we have always led with our technology. Today, we have an exciting array of opportunities to enable recent graduates to develop into world-class communication design engineers. This will continue the “best of breed” tradition that is pervasive across the whole Hughes engineering team. In addition, many of our business and operations leaders of today started their careers in engineering before progressing to their present roles. Nothing is more true at Hughes than the old adage that a bright engineer can accomplish anything.