US satellite solutions provider Hughes Network Systems has confirmed the launch of its Hughes de Colombia (HughesNet) satellite broadband service in Colombia. The launch represents the company’s second international deployment beyond North America, following its introduction in Brazil in July 2016. Operating over the EchoStar XIX high-throughput satellite (HTS), HughesNet delivers coverage to around 75% of Colombia, and supports download speeds of up to 30Mbps.
Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes, commented: ‘Colombia has many of the same market dynamics as in Brazil, primarily large untapped demand for high speed internet access in areas either unserved or underserved by terrestrial internet providers.’
TeleGeography notes that Hughes is currently the largest satellite broadband provider in the US by subscribers, claiming a total of 1.085 million subscribers at 30 June 2017.