Hughes chosen by Mexico’s SCT for satellite broadband network

Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) has awarded a contract to Hughes Network Systems for the construction of an 11,000-site satellite broadband network in the country. According the SCT, the project will see the Maryland-based satellite communications providers, supply and build the vast network that would span the whole of Mexico.

Hughes Network Systems is one of the leading global providers of internet from satellite technology. Nick Marzella, Hughes’ VP of Sales in Latin America, expressed excitement over the $24 million contract which was one through a competitive selection process.

SCT said that the project aims to connect various public centres, schools, hospitals and government offices across Mexico’s 32 states. The SCT also said that Telecomunicaciones de Mexico will be in charge of the project’s operations. Hughes will be rolling out the project in 5 months since starting in October of this year. The satellite communications company will be in charge with supplying the integral components of the network, including the 11,000 satellite broadband terminals which will be powered through solar energy. The advanced communications network will also connect the satellite broadband networks to Mexico’s existing system including fibre optic cables.

Hughes reveals speeds, price tags for HughesNet Gen 4 satellite broadband service

On the same day that its partner, Dish Networks, introduced the dishNET satellite broadband service, Hughes announced the upgraded speeds and price tags of its own HughesNet “Gen4” broadband Internet-from-satellite solution.

The company’s EchoStar XVII high-output Ka-band satellite successfully reached its assigned orbit last July. Hughes will leverage the new bandwidth’s vast capacities to provide three tiers of speeds and monthly data caps for HughesNet Gen4.

Power provides 10/1 Mbps download/upload speeds and a Data Allowance cap of 20 GB per month. It normally costs $60, but Hughes is issuing a special $50 promotion price. Next up is Power Pro, which doubles Power’s download speeds and adds 10 more GB to the monthly usage cap for an extra $20. Finally, for $100 a month, Power Max will provide upload speeds of 15 Mbps, download speeds of 2 Mbps, and a 40 GB usage cap per month.

These upgraded Internet-on-satellite services match those offered by its competitors Viasat and Exede. Another rival is Verizon, whose fixed long-term evolution (LTE) wireless broadband service Home Fusion offers users similar speeds and caps.

Hughes is also offering “bonus bytes” that can be used during off peak hours. In addition to the set Data Allowance, which can be used at anytime, each HughesNet Gen4 plan also comes with an equivalent amount of extra Data Allowance. These “Bonus Bytes” are a value-added feature of Gen4 Internet-on-satellite solutions, and can be accessed during 2 A.M. to 8 A.M., the off-peak, nighttime hours. When combined with HughesNet’s Download Manager tool offered alongside HughesNet, Bonus Bytes allows users to schedule large downloads during off-peak hours while preserving the normal Data Allowance for use during the day.

 

Internet by satellite for remote regions

Satellite internet is fast becoming the ideal solution for remote connectivity solutions. Despite increase in Internet users, especially in the developing country, majority of the world population are still cut off from the World Wide Web.

Majority of those still without Internet access live in developing countries, or in remote regions both in developing and developed nations. These are the same communities often inaccessible by road, or without stable power supply. Residents in deserts, far flung mountain regions, or even those living in tropical rain forests, and nearly uninhabited islands are cut off from the rest of the world.

This is where internet from satellite comes into play. Since the above-mentioned locations present conditions wherein fibre optic cables are impracticable to build, satellite broadband becomes the ideal solutions. VSAT systems, because of their size, can be easily deployed in this hard-to-reach areas and instantly connect them to teleports uplinking to various geostationary satellites providing the bandwidth.

Recently, satellite also emerged as a potential solution for blocked backhaul communications network. Bandwidth-intensive applications are straining the wireless networks, and with more mobile devices being put out in the market, the clog in the system is worsening. Mobile backhaul via satellite is now an alternative solution in easing the overload in the systems, especially with vast improvements brought by the rise of Ka band satellites, minimized latency issues, and minimized cost.