OREANDA-NEWS. Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), an EchoStar company and the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, today announced the launch of HughesNet® high-speed satellite Internet service in Brazil, the company's first international deployment of its award-winning consumer service outside of North America, beginning on July 1.

Operating over the Ka-band capacity of Eutelsat's 65 West A high-throughput satellite, HughesNet service reaches 85 percent of Brazil's population, bringing the many benefits of affordable broadband Internet access to consumers and businesses either unserved or underserved by terrestrial broadband. Hughes pioneered satellite Internet service for the mass market with, to date, over 1 million subscribers in North America - the world's largest high-speed satellite network. This first international deployment in Brazil builds upon HughesNet's success in North America, which was recently rated by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as #1 among all U.S. broadband providers, including both terrestrial and satellite, for delivering on advertised speeds.

"Brazil has many of the same market dynamics as in North America, primarily large untapped demand for high-speed Internet access in areas either unserved or underserved by terrestrial Internet providers," said Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes. "As a successful satellite service provider to enterprises and governments in Brazil for several decades, we are now expanding our existing delivery and support infrastructure and adapting our proven business model to close the digital divide - bringing people a range of high-speed Internet plans to suit every budget, no matter where they live or work."

HughesNet Brazil service is powered by the latest generation of the Hughes JUPITER™ System, the world's most widely deployed satellite network platform and one of the first to employ the DVB-S2x standard for highly efficient use of satellite bandwidth.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the global leader in satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative solutions and a comprehensive suite of HughesON™ managed services for enterprises and governments worldwide. HughesNet® is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations and digital TV solutions.

About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite and video delivery solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its EchoStar Satellite Services, EchoStar Technologies Corporation and Hughes Network Systems business segments.