FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hughes Launches HughesNet Managed Network Services for Government Customers

First Offering under New Brand Maximizes Value of Broadband Services to Government Agencies

Germantown, Md., March 27, 2006—Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced the first of its new offerings for the government market. HughesNet™ Managed Network Services are designed to maximize reliability, minimize complexity, and reduce expenses associated with operating agency-wide broadband networks.

Hughes currently has more than 110,000 enterprise and government endpoints under management in North America, and more than 20 years experience providing complex data networks. Leveraging this deep expertise, the HughesNet Managed Network Services suite, which includes High Availability Networks, Optimized Networks, and Access Continuity Services, is designed to address the diverse needs of the government market. The services are comprehensive, affordable solutions that empower government agencies to focus on their core missions rather than applying valuable internal resources to operating and maintaining networks.

“These services deliver meaningful value to the government sector by providing critical communications where and when needed,” said Tony Bardo, assistant vice president, Government Services group at Hughes. “Government agencies demand high availability networks and the desired Continuity of Operations can only be achieved by network path diversity. HughesNet Managed Network Services provides that answer, and we will market it through various direct and indirect channels, including our GSA GWACs.”

HughesNet Managed Network Services includes the following offerings:

  • HughesNet High Availability Networks—an extremely cost effective offering that provides Continuity of Operations by combining satellite and terrestrial broadband technologies to form a single, integrated, fully managed network with two diverse paths for each network location. The service enables agencies to intelligently route applications to combine bandwidth efficiency with application performance. Depending on network configuration, HughesNet High Availability Networks will offer four 9’s of network availability or more, supported by Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  • HughesNet Optimized Networks—a fully managed broadband offering that creates a seamless agency network, by utilizing the most efficient and cost-effective broadband technology available at each network location. The result is a single, integrated broadband network that covers all locations, regardless of geography. Networks can be optimized for cost or performance and will support full private networking or IP VPN based configurations.
  • HughesNet Access Continuity Services—provides an alternative and diverse transport path at each existing network location, enabling agencies to achieve near-constant uptime in delivering mission-critical applications during emergency situations. Agencies are able to optimize back-up cost and capacity depending on the level of network resilience required.

To learn more about HughesNet Managed Network Services for Government, please visit www.hughesnet.com or call 1-888-GS-HUGHES. Services are available through GSA Schedule No.GS-35F-0907P or your preferred integrator.

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. Hughes has shipped more than 1 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. (OTCBB:HGCM). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

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©2006 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. HUGHES, HUGHESNET, and IPOS are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.