MARYLAND, USA: Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), a leading provider of managed network services and the global leader in broadband satellite networks and solutions, today announced the availability of HughesNet Private Networks for small to mid-size businesses (SMBs).

HughesNet Private Networks is a secure and easy-to-deploy solution that provides private networking for the SMB outside the Internet. The resulting private network provides an enterprise-grade level of security and performance, at a price more affordable than terrestrial alternatives, including competing MPLS and Internet-based VPN solutions.

With a HughesNet Private Network, SMBs can enable branch-to-branch communications, directly connecting each of their locations via satellite for superior performance. This simple and secure connectivity eliminates the need for an expensive central hub or network operations infrastructure, as well as landline connections.

"Security, performance, and cost effectiveness are the somewhat conflicting watchwords for SMBs looking to connect multiple sites in a secure network," said Raymond Boggs, vice president of SMB research at IDC. "Being able to implement a reliable private network will be especially appealing to SMBs who thought enterprise-grade services were beyond their reach either due to cost or lack of availability."

HughesNet Private Networks also provides SMBs with bandwidth-on-demand for support of bandwidth-intensive applications, such as high-quality video conferencing. SMBs can enjoy significant cost savings over dedicated circuits by using bandwidth when and where it is needed, paying either a low-cost monthly fee or on a usage basis.

"With HughesNet private networks, SMBs no longer need to assume that enterprise-grade solutions are too complex," said Sam Baumel, Hughes assistant vice president. "In fact, the solution is very simple and easy-to-deploy. It is in use by consumers every day; from paying for gas at the pump, renting a video from the local video store, to using a bank card at a fast-food restaurant, HughesNet and satellite technology is relied upon by business owners daily."

HughesNet Private Networks bring SMBs the following benefits:

• Performance: SMBs enjoy plans that can be upgraded as needed at speeds up to 2 Mbps upstream and 8 Mbps downstream, as well as the ability to prioritize applications based on "Class of Service" for optimum performance.
• Security: A private network that protects SMBs' data-and their customers' data, with PCI-compliant architectures.
• Savings: SMBs enjoy substantial savings over competing private network solutions-all from one provider with true nationwide coverage.
• Reliability: Enterprise-grade equipment and service for high reliability, along with 24/7 proactive monitoring and flexible maintenance options.
• Bandwidth-on-demand: SMBs pay only for the bandwidth they use, when and where they need it, for support of high-quality video applications.

All this is made possible by SPACEWAY(TM) 3, the world's first commercial satellite designed with on-board switching and routing. HughesNet Private Networks is part of a suite of HughesNet business solutions that are designed to meet the growing needs of SMBs. These include HughesNet Business Internet for those underserved SMBs who are either beyond the reach of cable or DSL or where a T-1 line is too costly; and HughesNet Broadband Backup, which provides a path-diverse, secure broadband connection via satellite to ensure that critical business applications keep running even during a landline failure.