Photo: Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems deployed 1,300 satellite-enabled Community Wi-Fi Hotspots across Russia by longtime service provider customers AltegroSky Group of Companies and KB Iskra. With an average of 250 people having access to each of the Home/SMB hotspots, the providers will reach over 300,000 people in the Far East, Siberia, Central, Ura,l and Caspian/Volga regions, where internet access was previously unavailable or unaffordable. Both KB Iskra and AltegroSky are satellite communications operators in the Russian market and have delivered a  range of broadband services utilizing Hughes systems for over a decade, including over Wi-Fi hotspots.

The Community Wi-Fi solution aims to offer a cost-effective path to extend internet service in areas where terrestrial broadband is unavailable or unaffordable, employing industry standard 802.11 Wi-Fi access points combined with a shared Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) terminal for cost-effective satellite backhaul. This approach yields an affordable neighborhood service where any user can access the internet with a Wi-Fi capable handheld or laptop, and requires substantially less capex per household than a traditional broadband deployment. Homeowners pay a monthly or even seasonal subscription fee to the operator to have internet access in their homes.

“Our partnerships with AltegroSky and Corporate Group Iskra underscore the essential role of High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) technology in connecting the unconnected,” said Vinay Patel, senior director, International Division at Hughes. “The Community Wi-Fi solution and subscriber business model solve the very real problem of bringing affordable Internet access to communities everywhere, especially in areas outside the reach of terrestrial broadband.”