Hughes Network Systems of Germantown, Md., will supply a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system including up to 3,000 satellite broadband terminals to Joint-Stock Company Iskra Research & Development of Russia under a multiyear contract announced Dec. 23. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
In a press release, Hughes, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corp., described Iskra as one of Russia’s biggest VSAT operators, with over 8,000 network sites providing services to government agencies, telecom operators and other corporate customers of all sizes. As part of the contract, the companies will establish an authorized service center for Hughes satellite terminal products in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
“We are proud to expand our relationship with JSC Iskra R&D, a long-time Hughes customer and progressive telecom operator in Russia’s heartland,” Arunas Slekys, Hughes vice president and general manager for Russia, said in a prepared statement. “They are well-qualified to serve as a cost-effective service center for our terminal products, which only helps strengthen our leadership position in delivering the highest quality broadband satellite solutions for the Russian market — now with more than 40,000 Hughes VSATs shipped, well over 50 percent market share.
