Germantown, MD – Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years, today announced that Omantel, the first and leading integrated telecom services provider in Oman, has selected the Hughes JUPITER™ System to extend its mobile networks to serve more customers. Omantel will deploy satellite backhaul of cellular network traffic using JUPITER System equipment, including a gateway hub and hundreds of remote terminals.

“Our aim is to connect more subscribers in more places throughout the Sultanate, and satellite backhaul helps expand our network into areas where terrestrial backhaul is onerous or cost-prohibitive,” said Bernhard Van Der Merwe, Vice President Technology at Omantel. “We chose the Hughes JUPITER System due to its high performance and efficiency, as well as scalability for the future. This solution will enable us to cover new areas with our broadband services catering to the needs of individual and business customers across the country and enabling our digital society to grow and expand”

“We appreciate the opportunity to support Omantel in extending its cellular network and to bring the many benefits of connectivity to rural and remote communities,” said Dan Losada, vice president, International Division, Hughes. “This project reflects our strategy to help connect the unconnected in partnership with leading operators, like Omantel, who share our commitment to bridging the digital divide.”

The JUPITER System is the next-generation Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) platform from Hughes for broadband services over both high-throughput and conventional satellites. In use at more than 12,000 cellular sites across Africa, Asia and Latin America, the JUPITER System offers a low-cost and effective means of interconnecting cellular base stations, regardless of distance, infrastructure or terrain.