[SatNews] Hughes Network Systems, LLC, (HUGHES)  announced that it has been selected by Grupo Pegaso to supply its JUPITER™ System to help close the “digital divide” for communities in rural Mexico.

Pegaso Banda Ancha, a Grupo Pegaso company, will deliver services over the Bicentenario satellite owned by Mexico’s Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (SCT), operating a Hughes JUPITER Gateway and more than 5,000 remote terminals, helping the government reach its goal of providing Internet access to 100 percent of the country’s schools and municipalities. Grupo Pegaso chose JUPITER for its efficient use of bandwidth and ability to support 20 percent more sites than its competitors. 

Artistic rendition of Hughes' Jupiter satellite is courtesy of Space Systems/Loral.

“Internet access is a basic ingredient for economic and social development,” said Javier Braun Burillo, Chief Operating Officer of Grupo Pegaso.” The Hughes JUPITER System will enable us to connect remote communities and schools with many of the same economic, governmental and educational resources that are available in urban areas.” 

Mónica Aspe, the Director of Department of Information and Knowledge (CSIC) of the Mexican Ministry of Communication and Transport (SCT) stated that, “The Bicentenario project is an important step in closing the digital gap and providing efficient communications throughout Mexico, to avoid deepening social inequalities in our country.”  

The Hughes JUPITER System enables network operators to extract maximum performance from their satellites to support even the most demanding government and enterprise applications in a wide range of markets. Employing a novel System on a Chip (SoC) and numerous other technology advancements—including an enhanced air interface and wideband carriers—JUPITER's modular design makes it the ideal, future-proof platform for operators to gain performance and cost advantages on today's conventional Ku- and C-band satellites, and be well positioned for migration to next-generation HTS satellites.

“Hughes is honored to be part of Mexico’s efforts to close the gap between communities on the two sides of the digital divide—those with high-speed Internet and Wi-Fi access and those without,” said Nick Marzella, vice president, Latin America Region at Hughes. “JUPITER is the leading satellite system of choice for connecting even the most remote communities to the Internet.”