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Hughes Network Systems Introduces DIRECWAY(R) Multimedia Services for Enterprises

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 October 2004, 12:00 CDT

GERMANTOWN, Md., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS), the world's leading provider of satellite broadband solutions, today announced a comprehensive package of services for companies to answer the challenge of distributing high-impact digital content to their employees and customers, easily and affordably.

DIRECWAY(R) Multimedia Services (MMS) is available now as a value-added option on the continent-wide DIRECWAY service delivery platform. This suite of services expands DIRECWAY's award-winning broadband applications, enabling organizations to capitalize on opportunities in the emerging world of video- based solutions, including:

* Corporate television

* Video web conferencing

* Multi-media, real time distance learning

* Digital advertising

* Digital signage

"For over 20 years, Fortune 500 companies have been turning to HNS for two-way satellite solutions, companies who are leaders in applying a variety of business TV and other multimedia technologies. DIRECWAY MMS gives organizations a comprehensive, one-stop solution that takes advantage of the inherent multicasting capabilities of satellites. It is available on our nationwide DIRECWAY service platform, enabling concurrent delivery of media- rich content targeted to specific locations -- without the limitations of terrestrial-based networks," said Emil Regard, vice president of North American marketing at HNS.

"DIRECWAY MMS is multicast enabled from the start. Cable, DSL, Frame Relay and MPLS solutions are not inherently multicast and cannot match DIRECWAY's high bandwidth and rich media streaming capabilities, necessary for the enterprise market," added Regard.

According to the Yankee Group, corporations represent one of the biggest market segments for streaming video technology. Nearly 35 percent with more than 100 employees use it for employee training alone; 27 percent use it for marketing and advertising applications; and 25 percent use it for training customers and business partners. A recent report by Interactive Media Strategies found that 34 percent of the marketing and sales executives surveyed expected their Webcast spending to increase. Of that group, 20 percent said they expected the budget for multimedia applications to increase by 50 percent next year.

DIRECWAY MMS enables executives to meet their requirements for media-rich, one-to-many communications such as Web casts, live executive broadcasts, employee training in a conference room or desktop setting, or merchandising displays in a retail location. The software allows management to quickly and easily target digital content to any location, any group, any region, or the entire enterprise. Services can be provisioned to allow organizations to schedule their own multicasts on an ad hoc or scheduled basis, depending on their needs. Companies can also acquire dedicated capacity offered at a flat rate. Whether using a transactional or flat rate, DIRECWAY MMS delivers an enterprise's rich media end to end, bypassing terrestrial bottlenecks.

"Whether delivering new product information, new product launches, training, or business updates, DIRECWAY MMS helps organizations maximize the strategic and tactical impact of their corporate communications," said Regard.

DIRECWAY MMS operates as a network overlay that allows IT departments to deliver digital video live or pre-stored and forwarded, without consuming all of their existing data network capacity. DIRECWAY MMS also grows with a company's needs by offering support to next-generation video compression and technologies such as MPEG4, making the services viable well into the future. HNS is actively developing platforms to enhance these new services.

In addition to video, HNS anticipates that DIRECWAY Multimedia Services will be used in the emerging retail digital signage market. Some existing customers are already delivering content to displays and videos at point of sale and other store locations in order to market to customers while they shop.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS), a wholly owned subsidiary of The DIRECTV Group, Inc., is the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers, with more than 750,000 systems ordered or shipped to customers in 85 countries. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services, which it markets globally under the DIRECWAY brand. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, HNS maintains sales and support offices worldwide. The DIRECTV Group, Inc. is 34 percent owned by Fox Entertainment Group, which is approximately 82 percent owned by News Corporation Ltd. For additional information, please visit http://www.hns.com/.

Hughes, Hughes Network Systems, and DIRECWAY are trademarks of The DIRECTV Group, Inc.

Hughes Network Systems, Inc.

CONTACT: Judy Blake of Hughes Network Systems, Inc., +1-301-601-7330,jblake@hns.com; or John Hallock of Brodeur Worldwide, +1-617-587-2024,jhallock@brodeur.com, for Hughes Network Systems, Inc.

Web site: http://www.hns.com/

Source: PRNewswire

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