Expert View

September 2, 2005
Prospects for satellite broadband growing: HNS

SINGAPORE -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HNS) is the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services and IP-based networks, which it markets globally under the DIRECWAY brand. DIRECWAY terminals are based on the IPoS (IP-over-Satellite) global standard, approved by TIA, ETSI and the ITU standards organisations.

Convergence*Plus spoke to Ramesh Ramaswamy, Senior Director, Asia Pacific Region, Hughes Network Systems, on factors driving satellite broadband.

Convergence Plus: What are the prospects for satellite broadband?

Ramesh Ramaswamy: The prospects for satellite broadband are growing, with an expanding base of customers in different verticals having a growing demand for broadband services. In addition, governments are very interested in bringing the benefits of broadband to their citizens, including those in remote areas. Satellite broadband enables greater efficiencies for corporate customers and brings vital services to a country’s citizens. Communication is no longer restricted to any physical boundaries or geographical areas.

CP: Tell us about DIRECWAY and its advantages.

RR: Since the mid 80s when HNS first invented the VSAT, it has consistently been the global leader in providing enterprises, governments, and telecom operators with an evolving range of advanced, satellite-based, private network solutions. These networks provide rapid, reliable transmission of data, voice and video to virtually an unlimited number of sites over continent-wide areas covered by geostationary satellites. DIRECWAY is HNS’ global brand for all its broadband satellite service offerings, which are based on the IPoS standard, approved by the TIA in North America, ETSI in Europe and the ITU. Customers of DIRECWAY enterprise solutions and services include many of the worlds leading companies spanning a wide range of vertical sectors including financial services, retail, hospitality, oil and gas, automotive, etc.

In the retail industry, major European retailers such as TESCO and ASDA use HNS' DIRECWAY. TESCO uses DIRECWAY to support a customer facing, in-store digital signage network. The TESCO program was named one of the InfoWorld Top 100 IT projects in 2004. ASDA uses DIRECWAY for employee training programs. In the movie theater business, Regal CineMedia uses DIRECWAY to distribute targeted advertising to its theatres before the features begin. It has also uncovered new revenue streams by distributing videos of corporate meetings, sporting events, and rock concerts.

The Regal CineMedia program was also named one of the InfoWorld Top 100 IT projects in 2004. DIRECWAY continues to be the system of choice by the oil and gas industry majors; British Petroleum and Shell for pan-European networks, and Amerada Hess in the US for a broadband network linking its convenience stores.

CP: What is the role of satellite broadband Internet in bridging the digital divide?

RR: According to the Rural Broadband Coalition (RBC), broadband will soon be considered as essential as 'traditional' utility services. Recognising this, RBC sees a parallel with rural electrification programs of the 1930s, and considers governmental organisations and industry to have a significant role to play in bridging the 'digital divide' by bringing broadband to rural and underserved areas. The greatest advantage of satellite broadband Internet is that it enables Internet accessibility in areas that are not within the reach of mainstream connectivity options. HNS is successfully bridging the digital divide in urban and rural America by delivering DIRECWAY broadband satellite services to consumers and small businesses in 48 contiguous states in the US.

CP: How does HNS meet the communications needs of the global community?

RR: HNS is the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers, with approximately 800,000 systems ordered or shipped to customers in 85 countries. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite networking and Internet access services, which it markets globally under the DIRECWAY brand. DIRECWAY is based on the IPoS global standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organisations. For over 20 years since it conceived and delivered the first VSATs, HNS has consistently maintained the position of worldwide market leader in satellite network solutions.

According to the Comsys VSAT Report in 2003, HNS holds nearly 55 percent cumulative market share of the global VSAT business. HNS’ leadership spans all aspects of technology and product development, standards and satellite network solutions and services.

CP: Tell us about the products and solutions you are providing to Thuraya and Inmarsat, respectively?

RR: Most recently, HNS introduced the first Inmarsat BGAN Class 1 terminal to work over the new Inmarsat I4 satellite system. HNS will wholesale the product to distribution partners who will bundle it with the Inmarsat service and sell to end customers. The unique features of the Class 1 HNS 9201 broadband satellite IP terminal include, highest data rates offered by Inmarsat; simultaneous use of Ethernet, ISDN, USB and WLAN interfaces; built-in WLAN access point; selectable IP QoS and; rugged design for permanent outdoor installation. These features allow customers to perform broadband intensive functions such as sending e-mail, transferring large files, and videoconferencing. Additionally, customers will have access to voice and data applications, such as VoIP, VPNs and FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Inmarsat has a long-standing relationship with HNS as it is one of its key manufacturers for the regional BGAN terminal.

CP: What are the advantages of your product, DW7700, announced at the CommunicAsia2005 event?

RR: The DW7000 high-performance product line is designed to unlock the true value and performance of satellite broadband by offering increased flexibility and greater speeds on up and downstream transmissions.

Recognizing the worldwide demand by enterprises' for increasing the amount of bandwidth and the ability to support simultaneous users, the DW7700 can provide unsurpassed performance for even the most bandwidth-intensive applications. With support for two simultaneous LAN subnets, the DW7700 has the flexibility to handle new enterprise IP networking requirements. Further, the DW7700 supports integrated serial connectivity, thus providing the ideal solution for bridging legacy applications into an IP environment.

The DW7000 family of high-performance routers is the most recent example of HNS’ commitment to continuous innovation and takes satellite broadband to the next level. Not only does it operate in multiple bands; C, extended C, Ku and Ka, making it ideal for the Asia-Pacific market, as the industry’s most powerful enterprise router with speeds up to six times faster than previous generations, its capabilities are truly unprecedented. As our service provider and end-user customers in the Asia-Pacific region begin adopting the DW7000 family, they will experience this performance advantage and unlock the true value of satellite broadband.

The DW7000 product family, which initially consists of two offerings, the DW7700 and the DW7000, is highly scalable for various enterprise, government, and rural requirements. The product line is ideally suited for organizations that require ubiquitous broadband coverage, always-on Internet connections, last-mile rural telephony connectivity, GSM trunking, and support of bandwidth-intensive applications ranging from two-way video to large data files attached to e-mails.

The DW7000 family is compliant with the IPoS standard, approved by the world’s three major standards setting bodies, namely TIA in North America, and ETSI and the ITU in Europe. It also complies with the DVB-S and DVB-S2 standards for the downlink, which yields downstream rates as high as 90Mbps. As a result, it gives service providers in the region a great deal of flexibility to readily configure service plans covering a wide range of upstream-downstream data rates.