Elite and ElitePlus Offer Download Speeds of Up to 3Mbps on Affordable
Consumer Platform
GERMANTOWN, Md., June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hughes Network
Systems, LLC, (HUGHES), the world's leading provider of broadband satellite
networks and services, today announced the availability of the fastest
consumer broadband satellite Internet access plans ever offered. The new
service plans, Elite and ElitePlus, operating over the HughesNet(R)
service, give rural Americans access to speeds on par with terrestrial
broadband services utilizing affordable consumer equipment. The Elite plan
features download speeds of up to 2Mbps and ElitePlus features download
speeds of up to 3Mbps.
"Consumers and small businesses in rural areas have been left behind,"
said Peter Gulla, Hughes vice president of marketing. "Access to dial tone
may be universal in the US, but access to DSL or cable modem service is
not. The lack of broadband adversely affects mostly rural communities."
Experts say that families and home businesses without broadband access
will be left at a competitive disadvantage and run the risk of becoming
disenfranchised from their customers and the marketplace. And, according to
analysts, there are roughly 12 to 15 million homes in pockets of America,
both rural and urban, that do not have access to a broadband connection.
"With the help of HughesNet and its high-speed service plans, consumers
and home businesses located in areas otherwise left behind by terrestrial
providers, can take their products and services nationwide," said Jimmy
Schaefler of the Carmel Group. "With speeds on par with DSL, businesses are
able to increase productivity and consumers are able to participate in
e-commerce and other online applications that are not available to them on
a dial-up connection."
With the Elite service plans, subscribers can:
-- Enjoy download speeds on par with terrestrial providers of 2 to 3 Mbps;
-- Effectively run a home-based business;
-- Engage in e-commerce activities; and
-- Access information, whether for business or pleasure, at speeds rivaled
by no other satellite broadband provider.
Elite and ElitePlus join existing plans Home, Pro, and ProPlus, which
offer a range of upload and download speeds and prices. From upload speeds
of up to 128 kbps to up to 300 kbps and download speeds from up to 700 kbps
to 3.0 Mbps, Hughes offers plans to meet any consumer's or home business's
needs. Prices range from $59.99 a month for existing plans and start at
$119.99 per month for the new Elite and ElitePlus plans.
Elite and ElitePlus were made possible by the launch of Hughes'
SPACEWAY(TM) 3, the largest satellite in the US and the world's first
commercial satellite with on-board switching and routing. SPACEWAY 3 has
the greatest total capacity of any commercial satellite, which fuels the
faster speeds. SPACEWAY 3 was launched in August of 2007 and began serving
customers in April of 2008.
With more than 400,000 subscribers, HughesNet is the leading broadband
satellite Internet service in the United States. For more information about
HughesNet services and the new Elite plans, please visit
http://www.hughesnet.com or call 1-866-859-2268.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing
broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises,
governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all
broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of
satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products
are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards
organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has
shipped more than 1.5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.
Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA,
Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For
additional information, please visit http://www.hughes.com.
Hughes, HughesNet, and SPACEWAY are trademarks of Hughes Network
Systems, LLC.
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