[Satellite TODAY 01-30-13] Hughes Network Systems, Cisco Systems and the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) will continue to support Habitat for Humanity of Westchester, NY in its recovery efforts after Superstorm Sandy.

   Habitat for Humanity has been helping residents of the neighborhood of Breezy Point in Queens, NY, to rebuild their homes after they were destroyed by the storm. For this, the organization has set up a command center nearby to coordinate the efforts, powered by the satellite technology from the three companies.

   Hughes is providing satellite broadband internet and voice services for the humanitarian organization through its new Internet Access Solutions, powered by the EchoStar 17 satellite with JUPITER high-throughput technology – a next generation Ka-band satellite system with internet speeds up to 15 Mbps. Cisco established a TacOps team on site supporting customers in need by providing a switch to connect their computers, Wi-Fi for wireless access, and a call manager for phones. And the Global VSAT Forum’s (GVF) Disaster Preparedness Registry, established following the devastating earthquakes in Haiti in 2010, helped to identify appropriate support resources.

   “Satellite connectivity has again proven its resilience in the face of a disaster,” said Tony Bardo, Assistant Vice President of Government Solutions at Hughes in a statement.