Hughes Achieves Major Milestone - One Million VSATs Shipped

Hughes Achieves Major Milestone - One Million VSATs Shipped

May 02, 2006

Worldwide Leader Continues Market Dominance

    GERMANTOWN, Md., May 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Hughes
Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in
broadband satellite network solutions and services, today
announced that it shipped its one millionth satellite
terminal in Q1 of this year.  This marks a major milestone
in the global very small aperture terminal (VSAT) industry,
which Hughes started in the mid-1980s when it shipped the
first VSATs to Wal-Mart.

    For over 20 years since it conceived and delivered the
first VSATs, Hughes has consistently maintained the
position of worldwide market leader in satellite networks. 
These networks provide rapid, reliable transmission of data,
voice, video and multimedia to virtually an unlimited number
of sites over continent-wide areas covered by geostationary
satellites.  Customers of HughesNet solutions and services
include many of the world's leading companies, spanning a
wide range of vertical sectors from retail, to oil/gas, to
automotive, banking and entertainment/media, as well as
government and multi-national organizations. 

    "We are extremely proud of reaching this
significant milestone," said Pradman Kaul, chairman
and CEO of Hughes. "In addition to manufacturing
products and providing networking solutions around the
globe, we have also brought the capabilities of broadband
satellite technology to the small business and consumer
markets that are not served by terrestrial providers.  We
now have over 275,000 subscribers in the US enjoying the
benefits of HughesNet high-speed satellite internet access,
a major milestone in itself."

    According to the Comsys VSAT Report 2005, Hughes holds
over 55% cumulative market share of the global VSAT
business. 

    "Hughes' presence casts a shadow over almost every
player in the market," said Simon Bull, senior
consultant at Communication Systems Ltd (COMSYS). 
"Its dominance of the enterprise VSAT industry is
remarkable by the fact that the company has been able to
sustain its lead for almost twenty years in technology,
market share, and financial results." 

    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.  To date, Hughes has shipped more than one
million systems to customers in over 100 countries.  Its
broadband satellite products are based on the IPoS (IP over
Satellite) global standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and
ITU standards organizations.

    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. (OTC Bulletin Board: HGCM). For
additional information, please visit http://www.hughes.com
.

    HUGHES, HUGHESNET, and IPOS are trademarks of Hughes
Network Systems, LLC.

SOURCE  Hughes Network Systems, LLC
    -0-                             05/02/2006
    /CONTACT:  Judy Blake of Hughes Network Systems, LLC,
[phone], [e-mail]; or Donna Taylor,
[phone], [e-mail], for Hughes Network
Systems, LLC/
    /Web site:  http://www.hns.com
                http://www.hughes.com/
    (HGCM)