GERMANTOWN, Md., Feb. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network
Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and
multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years, today
announced the successful three-month pilot of a new Community LTE
service at five villages in Brazil. Designed to serve people who live
outside the reach of cable, fiber and cellular networks, Community
LTE creates a mobile hotspot across several kilometers that
connects to the internet by satellite. Anyone can access the
broadband service with an LTE-enabled device simply by purchasing
data at the local retailer who hosts the hotspot.
Since launching the pilot program, hundreds of people have used
the LTE service. One of them is Ivone
Cordeiro who lives near the town of Japonvar in the state of
Minas Gerais. "We live in the rural area, and the phone signal here
is really poor," she said. "Now, even being about a kilometer away
from the center of town, the Hughes service allows me to use
internet in my house with a good signal and speed, and even use
text apps or social media."
"Connecting the unconnected is a global imperative, yet no
single type of transport can solve the digital divide," said
Bhanu Durvasula, vice president,
international division at Hughes. "Our Community LTE program
exemplifies a multi-transport solution that combines LTE and
satellite to expand coverage to those in need. It's another
solution that governments and mobile network operators can
implement to extend networks and connect more people,
cost-effectively."
At each site, Hughes integrates its JUPITER™ high-throughput
satellite capacity and equipment with an LTE small cell and an
opensource network core – effectively creating a private LTE
network. With this edge configuration, subscriber traffic gets
processed locally, rather than traversing the satellite backlink to
the central network core – saving bandwidth and money for the
operator when compared to traditional backhaul.
Hughes recruited local retailers to host the Community LTE
hotspots and provides marketing and training support so they can
manage sales and earn revenue.
Thais Barbosa, a shop owner and host of the Community LTE
hotspot in Melancias, said: "Communication here was always hard. We
went through days without cellular signal. Now that people are
starting to know this internet service from Hughes, they ended up
pleased, and my commerce has increased."
Similar to the Hughes Community Wi-Fi Hotspot services that
combine a Wi-Fi access point with satellite backhaul to power
internet across 50-80 meters, Hughes Community LTE service serves a
larger area of approximately five square kilometers.
"This pilot test proved our use case for Community LTE in three
important ways," said Mr. Durvasula. "First, as an effective way to
connect the unconnected to essential broadband. Second, in helping
local businesses earn more revenue. Third, helping MNOs extend
mobile network reach quickly and inexpensively – especially to
small villages that would otherwise not have internet access."
To learn more about Community LTE from Hughes, watch the
video.
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
communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and
EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more
information, visit 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.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hughes-introduces-first-of-its-kind-community-lte-service-301482136.html
SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC