Launched in July 2012, with well over 100 Gbps of Ka-band capacity, EchoStar® XVII with JUPITERTM high-throughput technology is the cornerstone of the company’s successful HughesNet® consumer Internet service in North America, delivering speeds up to 15 Mbps and surpassing 800,000 subscribers.

First Ka-band Internet Service in Latin America

Now, that same JUPITER technology has moved into the southern hemisphere. Following its selection of the advanced Hughes technology platform in August 2013, Media Networks Latin America (MNLA), a Telefonica subsidiary, recently completed acceptance testing of its JUPITER System Gateways in Arica, Chile and Laredo, Texas to power the first commercial Ka-band satellite Internet service over Latin America.

Media Networks is the major wholesale distributor of satellite Direct-to-Home (DTH) television services in Latin America and the largest wholesale distributor of Ku-band satellite Internet service in the region. With the largest managed satellite teleport network in Latin America, it will now expand into delivering high-speed Internet access to the household market in major cities, operating over Hispasat’s Amazonas-3 Ka-band satellite. High-density JUPITER Gateways and an integrated Network Management System (NMS), including advanced OSS functionality, are now fully operational to manage a large population of Hughes broadband satellite terminals across the region.

The first phase of the project covers nine beams in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, and Peru. The new ISAT-Ka service will be marketed by operators in each country and is expected to serve hundreds of thousands of homes.

First JUPITER High-Throughput Technology Outside North America

Media Networks is the first customer of the new JUPITER Ka-band System outside North America. Expressly designed for high-capacity service networks, JUPITER features a dense and robust gateway architecture with lights-out operation, enhanced IPoS air interface for efficiency and performance, and high-throughput terminals.

“MNLA conducted a very careful evaluation of the major satellite networking systems available and found the JUPITER System met all of our stringent criteria,” said Werner Schuler, CEO of Media Networks. “We are pleased to work with Hughes in this important project that will enable residential segments in Latin America to gain access to satellite broadband services for the first time in the region.”

Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes, commented, “We are extremely proud to have been selected by Media Networks for the first Ka-band system deployment in Latin America. It’s a testament to the advanced capabilities and performance of our JUPITER System, which is helping power record growth of our HughesNet service in North America—and I’m confident will soon enable Media Networks to succeed in the southern half of our hemisphere.”

Indeed, as a pioneer of DTH service and now Ka-band satellite Internet for homes in Latin America, Media Networks is bringing the enormous potential of universal broadband to the region. And, this Latin American deployment marks the beginning of Hughes JUPITER technology igniting the broadband experience to more users in more places around the globe.