GERMANTOWN, Md., Sept. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes
Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband
satellite networks and services, announced today it has been
awarded a new General Services Administration (GSA) Blanket
Purchase Agreement (BPA) contract for a fully managed, global
satellite network to support distance learning programs for the
Government Education and Training Network (GETN). The GETN
community, a consortium of multiple agencies, has depended on
Hughes to power its distance learning network across the U.S. and
dozens of international sites, and this contract builds on the
company's commitment to deliver innovative network technology for
the Federal Government.
"Hughes has supported GETN for 10 years and we value the
opportunity to continue delivering a secure and reliable network
for government agencies to train their global workforce," said
Tony Bardo, assistant vice president
of Government Solutions at Hughes. "The GETN program exemplifies
how to best harness the power of online organizational training for
employees in dispersed locations while reducing or eliminating
travel costs."
The contract award, estimated at $15
million in total funding for up to five years, marks the
third time Hughes has been selected to deliver the turnkey
satellite broadcast network, which is expected to encompass
1,030+ downlink sites with 1 or more classrooms,
five uplink sites, 21 broadcast studios, and 44 international
sites. The Hughes team includes longtime subcontractor Convergent
Media Systems to support installation, maintenance and content
scheduling for the network.
GETN distributes its training content via HD interactive
television (ITV: 1-way video, 2way audio) with audio interaction
achieved through a secure terrestrial audio conferencing
system. This seamless, interoperable network allows user
agencies to share video-based distance learning programs and common
facilities.
Hughes will expand and continue to promote the use of
interactive TV as a very cost-effective and instructionally sound
medium for distance learning in a blended learning
environment. Users report completing over 250,000 student
training hours each year, resulting in a cost-avoidance in the tens
of millions of annual training dollars through GETN.
Under the contract, GETN will utilize HughesON managed broadband
service at select sites, including wireline, wireless and satellite
connectivity. As part of a managed service, the network solution
will also enable agencies to utilize idle bandwidth from other GETN
users to maximize network efficiency and performance.
GETN supports, among others, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA), United States Air Force (USAF), Air Force Reserve Command
(AFRC), Air National Guard (ANG), Defense Health Agency (DHA), and
the Department of Justice (DOJ). Training applications over the
network range from broadcasting videos of mock trials for judicial
employees to instructor-led video discussions for air traffic
controllers, medical personnel, civil engineers, acquisition
professionals, and aircraft mechanics around the world.
For more information on government solutions from Hughes, 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 1.2 million residential and business customers
across the Americas. 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 7
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 @HughesConnects 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.
©2018 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