Hispasat expands broadband satellite network with new Gilat SkyEdge II system

Spain-based satellite operator Hispasat has secured an additional SkyEdge II system from Gilat Satellite Networks in a recent deal. Hispasat will use its newest VSAT system for the third phase of its expansion plans for its Spanish broadband satellite network.

Hispasat started expanding its broadband satellite network in 2011 in concert with the “Avanza 100%” national broadband access program of the Spanish government. Avanza 100% seeks to ensure that underserved areas across Spain receive satellite broadband connectivity.

The SkyEdge II VSAT system will max out the space segment efficiency of Hispasat's satellite network by enabling 32APSK Adaptive Coding and Modulation transmissions. This enables speeds of up to 100 Mbps on every one of the network's 36 MHz transponders in conjunction with the Hispasat-1E broadband satellite.

ViaSat delays order, launch of ViaSat 2 satellite broadband platform to 2016

ViaSat has dropped hints that its ViaSat-2 broadband satellite may have to wait until 2016 at the earliest for manufacture and launch. The new satellite had originally been scheduled for launch in 2014 to expand and enhance the Company's Exede satellite broadband service.

The Company's CEO, Mark Dankberg, implied the delay during the “Satellite Broadband Comes of Age: The Ka-Band Equation” panel at SATELLITE 2013. He mentioned that ViaSat was planning to order a new satellite, but he also refused to set an exact date of purchase and settled for a vague, hopeful “soon.” He added that ViaSat was being assisted by several satellite manufacturers in configuring the planned broadband satellite.

According to CEO Dankberg, ViaSat's new satellite will certainly be able to transform the satellite industry. Ironically, this high expectation ended up being one of the factors that delayed the placement of the order.

CEO Dankberg reported that ViaSat-1 broadband satellite enjoyed excellent sales. 50% of its new subscribers came from terrestrial broadband, a percentage that vastly exceeded earlier expectations of 20%. This achievement, however, meant that ViaSat's next satellite must surpass ViaSat-1 in order to secure the economic model that the Company sought out.

North American consumers have been migrating to ViaSat at a good clip. More than 285,000 subscribers have signed up for the company’s Exede residential broadband service during ViaSat-1's first year of operation. Half a million consumers currently subscribe to ViaSat satellite broadband services.

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Sea Launch sends Intelsat 27 to equator for launch

The Intelsat 27 broadband satellite is on its way aboard a Sea Launch vessel for its January 30, 2013 (Pacific Standard Time) launch aboard a Zenit-3SL rocket.

Intelsat 27 will be sharing the 304.5 degrees East orbital position with the Intelsat 805 and Galaxy 11 satellites.

Built upon the Boeing 702MP platform, the Intelsat 27 is a geostationary broadband satellite with a planned service life of at least 15 years. It will carry a UHF communications payload for military customers and will be able to deliver satellite broadband services to customers in North America, South America, the Atlantic Ocean, and Europe.

The successful launch of Intelsat 27 will complete the first global broadband mobility platform in the world. The Intelsat satellite will deliver uninterrupted satellite broadband connectivity to terrestrial, maritime, and airborne customers. 

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Hughes wins EPA contract for RadNet satellite broadband upgrade

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tapping Hughes Network Systems for extend satellite broadband services. Hughes announced that it will provide a year's worth of satellite broadband service to 50 sites of the RadNet program.

Hughes is tasked with the installation and delivery of satellite broadband services at up to five RadNet locations per month. Its solution include an HN9000 broadband satellite terminal and a dedicated Access Gateway at the Hughes Network Operations Center in Germantown, MD. The latter allows the expansion and possible conversion of the RandNet network into a private network.

According to Hughes, its satellite broadband solution will improve manageability and visibility of the EPA network. The EPA will be able to run their sites in the efficient manner of a private network.

The EPA keeps a watchful eye on the radiation levels present in air, drinking water, pasteurized milk, and precipitation throughout the United States through the RadNet system. The existing network is set to be upgraded this 2013 with Hughes satellite broadband technology.

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Hughes Network Systems celebrates 2012 sales total of 487K SATCOM terminals

2012 was a good year for Hughes Network Systems, LLC. The Company delivered more than 487,000 broadband satellite communications terminals that year for a total of more than 3.3 million terminals shipped worldwide.

Hughes extends an ever-increasing portfolio of broadband networking solutions at the behest of governments, multi-national organizations, and enterprises of all sizes across all vertical sectors.

The latest addition to its offerings is the HughesNet Gen4 broadband Internet on satellite service. Launched on October 2012 and leveraging the JUPITER high throughput technology of the EchoStar XVII Ka-band satellite, the new-generation HughesNet Gen 4 satellite broadband solution spurred the growth of its consumer high-speed satellite Internet service in North America. During the fourth quarter of 2012, Hughes shipped more than 200,000 HT satellite terminals.

According to Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes, the company considers each of the 3.3 million terminals it had delivered since 1986 to be the proof that the Company's customers depended upon the Company's solutions to accomplish their satellite communications requirements.