Hughesnet Quenches the Thirst for Learning Across Latin America

When it comes to education, it’s easy to envision students sitting side by side in desks or perhaps lining the rows of an auditorium. It’s not likely an image comes to mind of the young and intrepid deftly climbing onto the rooftop of a home just to get cell service to conduct Internet research or download an assignment. And yet, in Chile, that was the case for one college student who sought help from the country’s First Lady, Cecilia Morel. In a letter to Ms. Morel, she explained her situation and detailed her challenges in pursuing an education. Ms. Morel alerted government officials, who contacted Hughes with a request to provide Hughesnet® satellite Internet services, so the woman could get connectivity at home and study from the comforts of her kitchen table.

Unfortunately, that young woman represents many who live and work in areas outside the reach of cable or fiber broadband. That’s why Hughesnet—named the best satellite Internet provider of 2021-2022 by U.S. News 360 Reviews—continually improves and expands service to bring fast, dependable broadband satellite Internet to more and more people around the world.

Hughesnet made remote learning possible for students of all ages around the globe throughout Covid:

• In Sonora, Mexico, a student at the College of Scientific and Technological Studies used the satellite Internet service to support his studies during the shutdown and thanked Hughesnet at the end of the school year for enabling him to place third on his class Honor Roll.
• Hughesnet provided access for 24 families in Moreles, Mexico, so their children could continue classes online. According to the school’s director, this helped prevent students from dropping out of school altogether and ensured educational quality and continuity.
• A Peruvian province with just 1,270 residents deployed Hughesnet service at the community center, enabling teachers to use the hotspot to access the Internet, prepare materials and teach classes.
• In the town of Huancavelica, Peru, Professor Walter Valasquez invented a robot to store audiobooks and radio recordings, which are now broadcast to the local community using Hughesnet.
• A 15-year-old student in Brazil who lacked cell service in her neighborhood walked a few miles each day to a spot where she could watch classes on her mobile phone—until Hughesnet was installed. Then, she was able to stay home for classes and didn’t miss any school due to lack of service or inclement weather.
• Also in Brazil, a teacher drove over 50 miles each week to teach a special needs student in person who had no connectivity at home. She wanted to be sure he didn’t fall behind developmentally. Once the student had Hughesnet, they were able to connect every day to better support his progress.

These are just a few examples. In Latin America alone, Hughesnet has nearly 400,000 subscribers in six countries: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. In addition, more than 1,500 HughesXpress Wi-Fi hotspots provide shared Internet access to thousands more. While these numbers are significant, it’s what people can accomplish when they’re connected that really matters – pursue education, save valuable time and establish meaningful connections. That’s why for the Hughes and Hughesnet teams, stories that illustrate the many ways connectivity quenches a thirst for learning will always earn the highest marks.