HughesNet Service Crosses Major Milestone

In January, as the U.S. government was grappling with the issue of universal broadband connectivity, Hughes sailed past the 500,000 mark of North American subscribers to its HughesNet® high-speed satellite Internet service. HughesNet service is what kept Angie Reinche of Missouri in contact with her husband when he was serving in Iraq. In Wilmore, Kansas, HughesNet Internet access at the local library has enabled the town’s 100 residents to take distance learning classes, conduct research, and shop online, giving them access to stores that are a four-hour car ride away. For farmers like Lee Sherbyn of Pay it Forward Ranch in Bealton, Virginia, and Linda Laney of Laney Honey in North Liberty, Indiana, a HughesNet satellite connection is the only way business can survive. While the government continues to debate the best approach to providing universal broadband access, Hughes is delivering on the promise today, providing high-speed Internet access services to individuals and small businesses in underserved areas throughout North America.

800-Pound Gorilla of the VSAT Market

The 2009 COMSYS VSAT Report cited Hughes’ continued global leadership position in the VSAT (very small aperture terminal) market with over 50 percent market share of terminals sold. According to Simon Bull, senior analyst at COMSYS, one of the satellite industry’s leading analyst firms, “Hughes is the 800 pound gorilla of the VSAT market…. The company lives and breathes the technology at all levels from chipsets to installation, not least because it lays claim to having started the industry with its work in the early to late 1980s. As its positive financial results have demonstrated every quarter since it went public in 2006, what sets the company apart today and drives its growth is the service business. Beyond technology and product innovation, over the past several years Hughes has successfully morphed into being the world’s leading broadband satellite service provider.”

North American Company of the Year in Satellite Industry

Frost & Sullivan named Hughes as the 2009 North American Company of the Year in the Satellite Industry in recognition of the company’s growth strategies, high-quality customer service, and product/service reliability. Frost & Sullivan ranks Hughes’ growth strategies, as demonstrated by its customer expansion, as the highest in the satellite industry. Worldwide, Hughes has shipped over 2.2 million terminals to customers in over 100 countries. In North America, the company’s market-leading HughesNet broadband satellite Internet service has over 500,000 subscribers. “In North America, Hughes has managed to grow revenues significantly year-over-year even during the economic downturn,” said Frost & Sullivan research analyst, Gina Villanueva. “The company’s commitment to enhancing its products and services also places it ahead of the competition.”