Hughes Announces Partnership in OneWeb’s Innovative Global Satellite Broadband Initiative to Close the Digital Divide

 

June 25, 2015

Hughes Network Systems, LLC  announced a major technology and marketing partnership with OneWeb to close the digital divide by bringing affordable broadband service to millions of households, schools and organisations worldwide.  

Hughes joins seven other global corporations in OneWeb’s ground-breaking communications initiative, including Qualcomm Incorporated, Virgin Group, Airbus Group, Bharti Enterprises, The Coca-Cola Company, Grupo Salinas, and Intelsat. OneWeb’s system will deploy hundreds of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites to enable delivery of high quality, low-latency broadband services, both fixed and mobile, as a combined offering with cellular networks.  

“OneWeb is a game-changing, next-generation satellite system,” said Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes. “We have been looking at every detail and are excited to participate in the ground system design, development and production. In addition, we will employ the OneWeb network to deliver services to our global base of customers and distribution partners.” 

Along with financial investment, Hughes will play a particularly important role by developing the ground system, including gateways and terminals. OneWeb’s network of LEOs will be complementary to the Hughes high-throughput JUPITER™ System which operates over geostationary satellites and powers its market-leading HughesNet® high-speed satellite Internet service—now with over 1 million subscribers in North America. Through its service businesses in the U.S., Europe, Brazil and India, and its worldwide base of customers and distribution partners, Hughes will help accelerate the adoption of satellite broadband for people and businesses unserved and underserved by terrestrial services on every continent.