‘Our core business is satellite broadband services and technologies’
Q. Who is Hughes Network Systems and what makes them different from other global satellite operators – like, Europe’s INMARSAT or Bermuda’s LIME?
A. Hughes Network Systems has been an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for fitty years. As an industry trailblazer, Hughes pioneered game-changing technologies – like the Very Small Aperture Terminal – that serve millions of consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world.
As a satellite operator, Hughes provides satellite-based broadband Internet service direct to consumers and small businesses through the largest constellation of Ka-band High-Throughput Satellites (HTS). The service, HughesNet®, is the world leader in satellite Internet, with more than 1.5 million subscribers in the Americas – many of them in rural locations beyond the reach of wireline connectivity. Our constellation of HTS also supports connectivity for enterprise and government customers, as well as cellular backhaul for mobile network operators (so that they can expand the reach of their networks).
Hughes differs from the other service providers you mention for some key reasons. Unlike LIME, which delivers wireline (cable) and LTE service, our core business is satellite broadband services and technologies. Inmarsat is also a satellite operator, but it primarily serves the mobility market – serving aero and maritime customers. Interestingly, in 1976, Hughes developed the first below deck equipment for a maritime satellite service – a precursor to what would become Inmarsat. Today, Hughes and Inmarsat collaborate on various projects, including the GX+ North America aero connectivity solution and BGAN terminals.
Hughes place in the larger telecommunications ecosystem extends far beyond our role as Internet Service Provider (ISP). We are not just a satellite operator. We also provide technologies that are the building blocks for our peers’ services and solutions. Our JUPITER™ System is the satellite ground network of choice for broadband satellite services on both conventional and HTS. The de facto standard for satellite broadband, the Hughes JUPITER platform operates on more than 40 satellites around the globe, serving network operators, governments, mobile networks, and aeronautical and maritime service providers. Hughes supplies more than half the current global satellite terminal market to leading satellite operators, in-flight service providers, mobile network operators and military customers.
Finally, in addition to our satellite connectivity solutions, Hughes is a leading provider of managed network services for enterprise business and government customers. As an MSP (managed services provider), Hughes provides fully managed, end-to-end integrated network solutions, turn-key network deployment configuration and implementation, and network performance optimization. Our HughesON™ suite of managed services includes SD-WAN, Wi-Fi & Location Analytics, VoIP, Security and Cloud-Based Digital Signage & Employee Training.
Customers who rely on Hughes include large, distributed organizations and franchises in industries including retail, restaurant, retail petroleum and convenience, banking & finance, hospitality, healthcare, government, oil & gas and more.
Q. What is Hughes approach to the global market and what are some recent areas of global expansion?
A. The Hughes approach to the global market is two-fold. In the Americas, where we have satellite capacity and a vertically integrated solution set, we offer services directly to consumers, enterprises, and governments. In places where we do not have capacity, we are the technology partner of choice to the industry – for instance, supporting broadband implementations for Algerie Telecom, InterSAT and others.
In Indonesia, Internet Service Provider, DTP, selected the Hughes JUPITER System to deploy satellite connectivity across 1,400 rural locations. DTP joins more than half a dozen other operators that have implemented the JUPITER platform across thousands of cellular backhaul and Internet access sites to support broadband initiatives of BAKTI, a division of the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Information. The DTP partnership will bring broadband into Papua, a part of the country that has lagged in connectivity.
Operators around the world turn to Hughes for satellite ground solutions. Eutelsat selected the JUPITER System to enable services on its KONNECT new-generation High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) for Western Europe and Africa, and more recently chose the JUPITER System Series 3 to enable services on its new EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS (Very High-Throughput Satellite).
Across Africa and the Middle East, Hughes is a partner with Yahsat in the YahClick satellite broadband service serving consumers and enterprises throughout the region.
Q. What makes Hughes an ideal choice for the ever-growing demand of satellite broadband services by residential, enterprise, as well as government customers?
A. Hughes is a pioneer in the industry – with 50 years of innovation and experience behind us. But we are also not content to rest on our laurels. Our legacy is one of constant evolution and innovation to meet emerging challenges and to take advantage of new opportunities to connect the unconnected, and provide the best possible customer experience.
In a world where connectivity has become as essential as electricity, satellite will always play a critical role. Our vision for the future of satellite is threefold. First, we are developing multi-service solutions so satellites can support a variety of applications – amortizing investment by optimizing capacity, and utilizing it most efficiently. Second, we are innovating multi-transport solutions — hybrid connectivity options that transmit data over the most efficient pathway – which could be terrestrial, wireless, geostationary satellite or non-geostationary satellite. Third, we are advancing multi-orbit technology – enabling us to utilize the relative advantages of different types of satellite connections – GEO, MEO and LEO – to improve user experience.
On the enterprise side, we are developing ground-breaking new technologies to support network resiliency and performance: for instance, our AIOps solution, which employs artificial intelligence to detect and automatically troubleshoot common network problems, is saving our customers hours of potential network down time.
Q. Do you think initiatives like Gigabit Cities and Industry 4.0 will help with the global expansion of technology?
A. Gigabit Cities and Industry 4.0 are exciting developments and are certainly capable of exponentially accelerating adoption and expansion of new technologies. In some ways, however, those developments are sort of a “rich get richer” scenario. At Hughes, we also support the technology revolution that will result from connecting the unconnected around the world. While we discuss gigabyte Internet connectivity, we also need to remember that millions of people around the world are still on the other side of a digital divide. Satellite is a way to bring them online – and to deliver all of the economic and social benefits that entails. More than anything, realizing a truly global network in which no one is left behind, will unlock the potential of technology to transform society.
Q. Hughes also provides satellite backhaul for wireless broadband. How do you see Hughes’ business fitting into the 5G ecosystem and how do you plan to capture growth there?
A. At Hughes, we view 5G as the continued evolution of wireless networking. We have been active in this area for more than 20 years, integrating 2G, 3G and LTE with our satellite systems. We have a complete LTE EPC (evolved packet core) network in our development lab, which we use to conduct various development and integration work, and we are prepared to integrate effectively with 5G systems as they come to market.
It’s important to note that 5G deployments are likely to follow the same path as 2G, 3G and 4G: beginning in dense urban areas that are easy for terrestrial providers to serve, then gradually expanding to ex-urban and rural regions. In many parts of the world, 2G is the best service available, if it is available at all. Satellite will continue to serve as a crucial backhaul and backup connectivity solution, regardless of the existing service level.
Where we see the most immediate service opportunity in 5G is for our distributed enterprise customers. With years of experience in cross-vendor pooling, identifying the best connectivity solutions and providers across hundreds or thousands of sites, our Hughes managed services team is prepared to offer a turnkey 5G portfolio solution for customers who are eager to take advantage of the latest technology where it’s available.
Q. How does the company decide where to expand their offerings?
A. Hughes focus is on connecting the unconnected around the globe with affordable solutions, and providing the best network experience for our customers. For our satellite operations, that means improving our own satellite constellation to deliver increased capacity and efficiency as well as improving our world-leading ground system technology to support providers worldwide as they expand coverage.
For our managed network services, that means improving network reliability, performance and security for our customers by advancing hardware and software technologies. As for expanding offerings in other markets, we work to support our operator partners in their growth and implementation strategies, wherever they may be.
Q. What kind of satellite opportunities are you seeing on the horizon?
A. The two biggest developments in satellite are the emergence of new LEO (low-earth orbit constellations) that promise to provide truly global coverage and lower latency service, and new Very High Throughput geostationary satellites that offer unprecedented capacity and flexibility.
Hughes is invested heavily in both of these areas. Hughes is an investor in the OneWeb LEO satellite communications company. At Satellite 2021 in September, we announced agreements for Hughes to become a distribution partner for OneWeb’s service in the U.S. and in India. We also demonstrated our multi-orbit technology, showcasing successful real-time switching between our Hughes JUPITER 2 geo satellite and satellites in the OneWeb LEO constellation.
Construction continues on our Hughes JUPITER 3 VHTS, a next-generation ultrahigh density satellite (UHDS) that will deliver increased capacity and coverage and enable significant increases in service performance, including download speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
Q. Has the availability of satellite Internet increased for homes especially with the context of bridging the digital divide?
A. Yes, availability of satellite Internet service continues to improve as Hughes, and other satellite operators, expand service offerings. However, the world has a long way to go to connect the unconnected. We continue to expand our HughesNet satellite Internet service in Central and South America, and to address the critical issue of affordability through satellite-powered community Wi-Fi in remote areas. Our community Wi-Fi solutions are changing lives in remote villages around the world, where the cost of individual household connectivity is too steep for residents.
Q. Players such as SpaceX have been entering the Latin American market, while services competition has intensified among the established ones. How are you dealing with this increasingly competitive landscape?
A. Hughes welcomes new entrants in the satellite Internet category. Cable and wire-line providers have largely bypassed rural customers and Hughes supports all efforts to provide them with reliable, high speed Internet. At Hughes, we continue to develop solutions to better serve rural populations, including optimizing our HughesNet service and our own investment in OneWeb LEO satellite and new multi-transport services.
With the launch of the new JUPITER 3 satellite, Hughes will be able to offer more capacity in markets across North and South America, increasing Ka-band capacity in the region by two to three times. When it launches (expected in the second half of 2022), JUPITER 3, will bring more than 500 Gbps of capacity directly to where we know the market needs are – versus LEO satellites, that have capacity spread out over the earth. In the meantime, we continue to optimize our current network to better serve customers, including applying artificial intelligence to improve traffic prioritization, mitigate rain fade and more.
No one type of connectivity can meet the massive demand for broadband worldwide. Every type of connectivity has relative advantages, and no one transport type will be the single best solve for all use cases. GEO is an important part of the ecosystem.
Q. Increased usage of bandwidth-heavy applications such as video streaming, gaming, and voice over IP will lead to increased costs for consumers who want to stay on top of their security – how do you address issues like these to avoid prices going up too much for your consumer base?
A. Geostationary, high-throughput satellites continue to deliver the least expensive cost-per-bit service for those beyond the reach of wireline communications. Hughes is committed to developing geo satellite solutions that offer greater overall capacity as well as the ability provide highly concentrated capacity in critical areas. Security is central to network design and engineering at Hughes with security protocols built into our satellites and ground systems.
The same security awareness that goes into designing the company’s satellites goes into planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring every customer network deployment, and our security operations team includes experts in threat analytics and response. Because security is built-in, it’s not a question of additional cost to the enterprise and operator customer. For consumers, we offer our HughesNet customers in the U.S. the latest Norton 360 as an add-on to their service (and with current promotional offers, customers can get the anti-virus protection free for six months).
