[Satellite TODAY 04-28-10] Hughes Network Systems signed an $18 million, multi-year agreement to supply Avanti Communications Group with advanced Ka-band networking infrastructure for Avanti’s Hylas 2 satellite, Hughes announced April 27.
    The deal builds on Hughes’ initial $24 million contract with Avanti, signed in October, to supply Ka-band technology for Hylas 1. Both deals include acquisition of satellite capacity by Hughes, which will be used to expand its Ka-band broadband services across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
    Hughes will supply Avanti with 48 advanced Ka-band system gateways for Hylas 2, scheduled for launch in 2012, raising the total gateways for both Hylas satellites to 56. The Ka-band architecture aims to enable efficient delivery of bandwidth-demanding services, such as digital signage and distance learning for enterprises, and large-scale, high-speed Internet services for Avanti’s consumers and small business customers.
    Hughes said the deal also opens up new potential for government and defense applications throughout the region, as Hylas 1 and 2 have the capacity to serve a population of about 1 million broadband sites combined.  
    “This is the second stage of an exciting win-win agreement with Avanti. … It positions us to rapidly expand Ka-band services across Europe and the Middle East,” Hughes CEO Pradman Kaul said in a statement.

Related Stories-

Avanti Wins Government Contract Extension in Northern Ireland   Satellite Today   March 30, 2010
[Satellite TODAY 03-30-10] Avanti Communications has won a satellite broadband contract extension with Northern Ireland s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, the company announced March 29. The Department has decided to increase…

EMS to Supply Hylas 2 Hardware   Satellite Today   March 22, 2010
[Satellite TODAY 03-22-10] Orbital Sciences named EMS as supplier of the redundant low-noise amplifier assembly for the Hylas 2 Ka-band satellite, Orbital Sciences announced March 19. The 16-month contract is worth more than $5.4 million and…

Capacity Extremes Could Impact MENA   Via Satellite   March 1, 2010
Belief that demand for capacity serving the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) soon will skyrocket has been building for more than a year, spurred by a combination of increasing demand for satellite-based services and government deregulation that…