GERMANTOWN, Md., Sept. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes
Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband
satellite networks and services, today announced the immediate
availability and expedited installation of emergency satellite
communications (SATCOM) terminals for first response organizations
and businesses during the highly active hurricane season. Operating
over its high-throughput Ka-band satellites (HTS), EchoStar XVII
and EchoStar XIX, Hughes delivers reliable and efficient emergency
response communications with 25 Mbps download speeds from coast to
coast across America.
Recently, Hurricane Harvey disrupted at least 17 Texas-area
emergency call centers and 320 cellular sites that led to outages
for more than 148,000 Internet, TV, and phone customers. Adding to
the catastrophic damage in the southeastern U.S., Harvey was
followed by Hurricane Irma, which took aim at the Caribbean Islands and Florida. According to the FCC, Hurricane Irma
wreaked havoc on local telecom infrastructure, downing eighty-two
percent of cell sites in the Keys and throughout Monroe County. In the wake of Hurricanes
Harvey and Irma, Hughes deployed ground systems at the request of
response organizations to support recovery efforts and expects more
units to be deployed in the coming weeks.
"When hurricanes hit, gale force winds and flash flooding can
devastate terrestrial networks, whether cable, fiber or cellular,"
said Tony Bardo, assistant vice
president of Government Solutions at Hughes. "Satellite
communications operate far above the disruption and are critical to
coordinate decision-making among responders and to keep the public
informed. Our solutions enable mobile connectivity for real-time
situational awareness, backhaul for portable cellular service, and
fixed broadband service for recovery and command centers."
Hughes employs its nationwide satellite network and brings
decades of operational experience to help response efforts through
its reliable emergency broadband solutions for businesses and
agencies, including:
- Back-up Connectivity: Satellite backup from Hughes
offers a higher level of resiliency for any mission-critical
network, including 9-1-1 and NG 9-1-1 networks. VSAT backup is
independent from local terrestrial infrastructure and keeps network
applications running during and after a disaster with flexible and
scalable service offerings.
- Deployable Field Communications: Hughes offers several
mobile and portable emergency communications solutions to the first
responder community, including fly-away and manpack terminals,
vehicle-mounted terminals, and auto-deployable systems.
- Cell-on-Wheels: Hughes partners with cellular providers
to deliver localized LTE coverage with a Cell-on-Wheels unit
consisting of an auto-deployable VSAT and LTE mast that can be
hitched to a vehicle. This solution is ideal for responders that
need to leverage mobile devices in the field where local
infrastructure has been damaged or knocked out when disaster
hits.
As yet another major Atlantic storm, Hurricane Maria,
approaches, Hughes has leveraged its experience supporting
emergency management teams and government agencies to develop a
short list of basic steps to help government agencies and
businesses prepare for operations during and after a hurricane.
Find our Top 5 Preparedness Measures to consider here:
https://www.hughes.com/who-we-are/blog/weathering-the-storm
For more information, visit government.hughes.com
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in
broadband satellite technology and services for home and office.
Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®,
the world's largest satellite network with over 1 million
residential and business customers across North America and Brazil. For large enterprises and governments,
the company's HughesON® managed network services provide complete
connectivity solutions employing an optimized mix of satellite and
terrestrial technologies. The JUPITER™ System is the world's most
widely deployed High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating
on more than 20 satellites by leading service providers, delivering
a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular
backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 6
million terminals to customers in over 100 countries, representing
approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is
powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.
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.
For additional information about Hughes, please visit
www.hughes.com and follow @Hughes_Corp on Twitter.
About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider
of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business
around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications
technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar
Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit
echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.
©2017 Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar company. Hughes
and HughesNet are registered trademarks and JUPITER is a trademark
of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.
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SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC