Hughes Completes Installation of Gateways for Yahsat's 'YahClick' Broadband Service

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10 Sep, 2012, 11:00 GMT

GERMANTOWN, Maryland, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced it has completed the delivery, installation, and commissioning of four broadband gateways and a network control center that will enable Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (Yahsat), the Abu Dhabi, UAE-based satellite operator to expand service throughout the Middle East, as well as Africa.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/NE29456LOGO )

Hughes completed the Gateway and Service Delivery System implementation project for Yahsat clearing the way for the start of commercial service. The Gateways, Network Control Center, and Service Delivery System are critical components of Yahsat's YahClick satellite service.

In addition to the completion of the baseband equipment deliverables, Hughes has shipped over 10,000 VSAT terminals to YahClick service partners based in the 28 markets where it is currently being rolled out. Now that initial deliveries are complete, Hughes begins the operations and maintenance portion of its agreement with Yahsat. In this phase Hughes will be responsible for the network operations for the ground segment which powers the YahClick service.

"Hughes has been a significant asset to us throughout the process of implementing YahClick," said Yahsat CEO Tareq Abdul Raheem Al Hosani. "We look forward to bringing satellite broadband Internet to consumers and businesses across the Middle East, South West Asia and Africa, who have previously had limited or no access to the Internet, providing them with reliable, wide reaching and high-speed Internet connectivity."

"Realizing this critical milestone is a testament to the experience and excellent teamwork of Hughes and Yahsat people—evidencing the best in vendor-customer relations," said Bahram Pourmand, executive vice president, International Division at Hughes. "We are excited to be playing a strategic role in the delivery of YahClick service throughout the region."

Yahsat is launching YahClick throughout the Middle East, South West Asia and Africa region, where access to high-performance broadband Internet was previously severely limited. YahClick is a next-generation, Ka-band service that will leverage the high-throughput capability of the Yahsat Y1B satellite and the Hughes HN System solution to provide broadband Internet access and other applications to large and small enterprises, government agencies, and consumers. For more information on the YahClick service and the available packages in each country, please logon to www.yahsat.ae/YahClick.

About Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC "Yahsat" - www.yahsat.ae

Yahsat provides multi-purpose satellite solutions (commercial and government) for broadband, broadcast, military and communications use across the Middle East, Africa and South West Asia. Based in Abu Dhabi, and wholly owned by Mubadala, Yahsat is the first company in the Middle East and Africa to offer Ka-band satellite communications services including:

YahClick: the satellite broadband service providing connectivity to a wide range of industries, NGOs, government, education organisations and home users across urban, rural and remote communities. YahClick also provides IP Trunking Solutions for telecommunication operators.
YahService: includes Government Solutions and Managed Solutions to provide an end to end satellite communications solution
YahLink: leverages high power C-band with a single beam to provide a powerful satellite connectivity service

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. HughesNet® is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.8 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.

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 and digital TV solutions. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com.