Hughes Network Systems confirmed that its newly launched EchoStar XVII satellite was successfully placed into its permanent geosynchronous orbital slot of 107.1 degrees West longitude last week. Testing is underway and Hughes expects to begin commercial operations this fall.
“The launch and positioning of EchoStar XVII is a significant milestone for Hughes, as it will be the cornerstone for our HughesNet Gen4 satellite Internet service,” said Paul Gaske, Hughes executive vice president and general manager, North America Division. “With well over 100 Gbps capacity, EchoStar XVII will build on the success of our SPACEWAY 3 satellite–the world’s largest commercial satellite network, expanding high-speed satellite Internet access in North America to over 1.5 million new consumer and small business subscribers.”
The new generation Ka-band satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral and launched by Arianespace.
