Hughes Addresses Disparities in Broadband Access at the Southern West Virginia Broadband Summit

Satellite Uniquely Positioned to Bring Broadband Internet Access to Everyone

Germantown, Md., September 18, 2006— Providing broadband Internet access services everywhere was the subject of the Southern West Virginia Broadband Summit, hosted recently by Senator Jay Rockefeller as part of his ongoing commitment to bringing advanced telecommunications to southern West Virginia and the entire Mountain State. Representing the satellite market on a panel that consisted of representatives from DSL, cable, fiber and utility companies, Mike Cook, Senior Vice President of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) noted that while urban Americans have ample choices for broadband, there is still an entire class of small businesses and consumers residing in rural and suburban areas who will never be served by terrestrial technologies.

“Simple access to dial tone is no longer enough,” said Cook. “To stay competitive and avoid being disenfranchised, small businesses and consumers need broadband access. Yet according to recent industry reports, there are roughly 12 to 15 million homes in many parts of rural and even suburban America where cable and DSL technologies will never be deployed,” said Cook. “Although many don’t realize it, satellite broadband is available everywhere in the US with a clear view of the southern sky, delivering small businesses and consumers a fast, reliable and always-on connection. In fact, more than 50,000 small businesses and over 300,000 consumers already use our HughesNet™ satellite broadband Internet service.”

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. To date, Hughes has shipped more than one 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.

Roberta Girasole
r.girasole@eu.hns.com