NEW DELHI and LONDON and GERMANTOWN, Md., Jan.
21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- OneWeb, the low Earth orbit
satellite communications company, and Hughes Network Systems LLC
("Hughes"), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport
technologies and networks for 50 years, today announced a strategic
six-year Distribution Partner agreement to provide low Earth
orbit (LEO) connectivity services across India. The arrangement between OneWeb and
Hughes Communications India Private Ltd. (HCIPL), a joint venture
between Hughes and Bharti Airtel Limited ("Airtel") follows the
Memorandum of Understanding signed by the companies in September 2021.
![Hughes Network Systems Hughes Network Systems](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1730829/HUGHES_NETWORK_SYSTEMS__LLC.jpg)
As the leading satellite broadband provider in India, HCIPL is well positioned to deliver
services to enterprise and government with OneWeb capacity,
especially in areas outside the reach of fiber connectivity. OneWeb
will connect towns, villages, and local and regional municipalities
in those hardest-to-reach areas, playing a critical role in
bridging the digital divide.
Partho Banerjee, president
and managing director, HCIPL, said: "This announcement
marks a turning point for Digital India. Enterprise and government
customers, including telecom service providers, banks, factories,
schools, defense organizations, domestic airlines, and offshore
vessel operators, are eagerly anticipating the arrival of new high
performing satcom services. We look forward to bringing them
high-speed, low-latency services from HCIPL using OneWeb
capacity—and catapulting India to
the cutting edge of connectivity."
Neil Masterson, CEO,
OneWeb, commented: "OneWeb is delighted to partner
with Hughes to offer high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband
solutions and contribute to the Digital India vision. OneWeb's
constellation will cover the length and breadth of India, from Ladakh to Kanyakumari and from
Gujarat to the Northeast and bring secure solutions to enterprises,
governments, telcos, airline companies and maritime customers.
OneWeb will invest in setting up enabling infrastructure such as
Gateways and PoPs in India to
light up the services."
Today's agreement expands upon an established relationship
between the two companies. Hughes, through its parent company
EchoStar, is a longstanding and supportive OneWeb shareholder. It
is also an ecosystem partner to OneWeb, developing gateway
electronics – including for those in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu – and
the core module that will power every user terminal for the system.
Hughes also is the prime contractor on an agreement with the U.S.
Air Force Research Lab to integrate and demonstrate managed LEO
SATCOM using OneWeb capacity in the Arctic region.
In each of its core markets, OneWeb works with carefully
selected distribution partners providing new business and expansion
opportunities whilst supporting its goal of bringing improved
digital communication services to some of the hardest-to-reach
parts of the world.
OneWeb's most recent satellite launch on 27 December 2021 brought its total in-orbit
satellites to 394, over 60 percent of the planned 648 LEO satellite
fleet. It plans to commence global service by the end of 2022 as
demand continues from telecommunications providers, aviation and
maritime markets, ISPs, and governments worldwide for its
low-latency, high-speed connectivity services.
Service offerings under this agreement are subject to all
appropriate regulatory approvals and licenses.
About OneWeb
OneWeb is a global communications network powered from space,
headquartered in London, enabling
connectivity for governments, businesses, and
communities. It is implementing a constellation of Low Earth Orbit
satellites with a network of global gateway stations and a range of
user terminals to provide an affordable, fast, high-bandwidth and
low-latency communications service, connected to the IoT future and
a pathway to 5G for everyone, everywhere. Find out more
at http://www.oneweb.world
About Hughes Communications India
A subsidiary of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the
leading global provider of broadband satellite networks and
services, HCIPL is a joint venture of HUGHES and Bharti Airtel
Limited, India's premier
communications solutions provider. HCIPL is the largest satellite
service operator in India
providing a comprehensive range of broadband networking
technologies, solutions, and services for businesses and
governments, including Managed Services to meet every
communications challenge. More information is available at
www.hughes.in.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite
and multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years,
provides broadband equipment and services; managed services
featuring smart, software-defined networking; and end-to-end
network operation for millions of consumers, businesses,
governments and communities worldwide. The Hughes flagship Internet
service, HughesNet®, connects more than 1.5 million
subscribers across the Americas, and the Hughes JUPITER™ System
powers Internet access for tens of millions more worldwide. Hughes
supplies more than half the global satellite terminal market to
leading satellite operators, in-flight service providers, mobile
network operators and military customers. A managed network
services provider, Hughes supports nearly 500,000 enterprise sites
with its HughesON™ portfolio of wired and wireless solutions.
Headquartered in Germantown,
Maryland, USA, Hughes is owned by EchoStar. To learn more,
visit www.hughes.com or follow HughesConnects on Twitter and
LinkedIn.
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
www.echostar.com. Follow @EchoStar on Twitter.
©2022 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 OneWeb; Hughes Network Systems