[Satellite TODAY 11-23-10] Hughes Network Systems has been contracted by Hercules Offshore to equip its entire Class 120 to Class 230 liftboat fleet in the Gulf of Mexico with Hughes satellite-based broadband maritime services, the company announced Nov. 22.
    Hughes’ broadband maritime solution will work to provide the liftboats with simple voice, email, Wi-Fi, and Web browsing, as well as VPN, video, network management, and custom-built applications. 
Hughes’ services also will extend to Hercules Offshore’s office wide area network (WAN) to all liftboats by a private backhaul connecting Hercules Offshore headquarters to the Hughes Network Operations Center (NOC) in Maryland. Hercules Offshore also is instituting “four-digit dialing” to all liftboats from any office phone through the main phone switch.
    The broadband satellite services for Hercules Offshore are fully managed by Hughes in partnership with ESSI. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.