Elite and ElitePlus Offer Download Speeds of Up to 3Mbps on Affordable Consumer Platform GERMANTOWN, Md., June 17
GERMANTOWN, Md., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hughes Network Systems,
LLC, (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite networks
and services, today announced the availability of the fastest consumer
broadband satellite Internet access plans ever offered. The new service plans,
Elite and ElitePlus, operating over the HughesNet(R) service, give rural
Americans access to speeds on par with terrestrial broadband services
utilizing affordable consumer equipment. The Elite plan features download
speeds of up to 2Mbps and ElitePlus features download speeds of up to 3Mbps.
"Consumers and small businesses in rural areas have been left behind,"
said Peter Gulla, Hughes vice president of marketing. "Access to dial tone may
be universal in the US, but access to DSL or cable modem service is not. The
lack of broadband adversely affects mostly rural communities."
Experts say that families and home businesses without broadband access
will be left at a competitive disadvantage and run the risk of becoming
disenfranchised from their customers and the marketplace. And, according to
analysts, there are roughly 12 to 15 million homes in pockets of America, both
rural and urban, that do not have access to a broadband connection.
"With the help of HughesNet and its high-speed service plans, consumers
and home businesses located in areas otherwise left behind by terrestrial
providers, can take their products and services nationwide," said Jimmy
Schaefler of the Carmel Group. "With speeds on par with DSL, businesses are
able to increase productivity and consumers are able to participate in
e-commerce and other online applications that are not available to them on a
dial-up connection."
With the Elite service plans, subscribers can:
-- Enjoy download speeds on par with terrestrial providers of 2 to 3 Mbps;
-- Effectively run a home-based business;
-- Engage in e-commerce activities; and
-- Access information, whether for business or pleasure, at speeds rivaled
by no other satellite broadband provider.
Elite and ElitePlus join existing plans Home, Pro, and ProPlus, which
offer a range of upload and download speeds and prices. From upload speeds of
up to 128 kbps to up to 300 kbps and download speeds from up to 700 kbps to
3.0 Mbps, Hughes offers plans to meet any consumer's or home business's needs.
Prices range from $59.99 a month for existing plans and start at $119.99 per
month for the new Elite and ElitePlus plans.
Elite and ElitePlus were made possible by the launch of Hughes'
SPACEWAY(TM) 3, the largest satellite in the US and the world's first
commercial satellite with on-board switching and routing. SPACEWAY 3 has the
greatest total capacity of any commercial satellite, which fuels the faster
speeds. SPACEWAY 3 was launched in August of 2007 and began serving customers
in April of 2008.
With more than 400,000 subscribers, HughesNet is the leading broadband
satellite Internet service in the United States. For more information about
HughesNet services and the new Elite plans, please visit
http://www.hughesnet.com or call 1-866-859-2268.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) 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. Its broadband satellite products are based on global
standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including
IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.5
million systems to customers in over 100 countries.
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 http://www.hughes.com.
Hughes, HughesNet, and SPACEWAY are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems,
LLC.
SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC
