Hughes Communications
Encyclopedia
Hughes Communications is a provider of satellite-based communications services. The company operates its satellite business through its wholly owned subsidiary, HughesNet.
In 2011, Hughes was acquired by EchoStar in a deal valued at US$
1.3 billion.
, in Germantown, Maryland, USA, it maintains sales and support offices worldwide and employs approximately 1,500 people, in engineering, operations, marketing, sales and support. It also operates manufacturing facilities in Gaithersburg, Maryland
. It first opened its doors in 1971 as a division of Hughes Aircraft's GM-merged subsidiary Hughes Electronics, which expanded in 1987 with the purchase of M/A-COM Telecommunications. In January 2003, the company was sold to SkyTerra Communications.
technology and service in United States
and Europe
. HughesNet provides high-speed satellite internet access across the contiguous United States in areas with a clear view of the southern sky. Originally branded as DirecPC and later DirecWay, it originally marketed to business customers as a side venture to the consumer product DirecTV
. In October 1996, operating as an independent entity, Hughes Communications expanded into the consumer market, primarily targeting "work-at-home consumers who might otherwise use ISDN". It officially changed its name on March 27, 2006.
HughesNet services are sold directly throughout North America, and in Brazil, Europe, and India from authorized service providers and resellers. HughesNet offers downstream rates between 1Mbit/s and 2Mbit/s..
In 2011, Hughes was acquired by EchoStar in a deal valued at US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.3 billion.
Hughes Network Systems
A wholly owned subsidiary, Hughes Network Systems is a provider of broadband satellite network products for businesses and consumers. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in Germantown, Maryland, USA, it maintains sales and support offices worldwide and employs approximately 1,500 people, in engineering, operations, marketing, sales and support. It also operates manufacturing facilities in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
. It first opened its doors in 1971 as a division of Hughes Aircraft's GM-merged subsidiary Hughes Electronics, which expanded in 1987 with the purchase of M/A-COM Telecommunications. In January 2003, the company was sold to SkyTerra Communications.
HughesNet
HughesNet is the brand under which Hughes Network Systems provides its one-way and two-way satellite Internet accessSatellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through low Earth orbit satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world...
technology and service in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. HughesNet provides high-speed satellite internet access across the contiguous United States in areas with a clear view of the southern sky. Originally branded as DirecPC and later DirecWay, it originally marketed to business customers as a side venture to the consumer product DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
. In October 1996, operating as an independent entity, Hughes Communications expanded into the consumer market, primarily targeting "work-at-home consumers who might otherwise use ISDN". It officially changed its name on March 27, 2006.
HughesNet services are sold directly throughout North America, and in Brazil, Europe, and India from authorized service providers and resellers. HughesNet offers downstream rates between 1Mbit/s and 2Mbit/s..