Hughes And Comat Sign
Contract To Provide Broadband Services At 10,000 Kiosks Across Rural
India
(4 February 2008) Hughes India
(HUGHES) has announced the signing of a contract with Comat Technologies to
supply ten thousand broadband satellite terminals, together with its nationwide
HughesNet satellite services and applications to be delivered at rural business
centres across multiple states in India.
Comat is the premier
e-governance organisation in India, having more than a decade of experience
working with government, public, private and multi-lateral organisations, and
Hughes has been the world leader in broadband satellite networks and services
for over 20 years.
Speaking about the agreement with Hughes, Comat
President Sriram Raghavan stated, "Having strong experience in delivering
e-governance solutions and services in partnership with various states, Comat
has established a unique blend of content and delivery that has allowed the
concept of a community services center (CSC) to be become a reality. Together
with Hughes, the company is now gearing up to deploy these CSC's throughout
India's rural regions."
Pradman Kaul, President and CEO of Hughes, added
that "this agreement demonstrates our collective ability to close the so-called
digital divide in rural India, combining our advanced equipment technology,
HughesNet satellite broadband services, and Comat's e-governance applications.
Customers everywhere will soon enjoy high-speed internet access, and a growing
range of e-governance and other value-added applications such as distance
learning on an affordable, pay as you go basis."
The Hughes and Comat
consortium won the right to roll out the kiosks in Sikkim, Tripura and various
parts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttaranchal through a competitive bidding
process for the Government of India's Community Services Centers. Pranav Roach,
President and CEO of Hughes India said, "Hughes and Comat have been working
together through numerous initiatives to bring the benefits of broadband to
people in rural and semi urban areas. Two thousand of the 10 thousand terminals
have already been delivered, and we are working closely with Comat to ensure
smooth deployment of the HughesNet Fusion Services at these rural centres in
the five states."
About Comat
Comat, a Social Enterprise is one
of the leading rural e-governance solution providers for over a decade in the
emerging economies. Comat has an enviable record of deploying ICT (Information
and Communication Technologies) in rural and semi-urban areas. Comat's
expertise lies in understanding customer needs and defining robust solutions,
which stems from its experience over the years in serving many government
departments and successfully executing projects for multi-lateral agencies.
Through its e-governance & rural empowerment solutions powered by
public-private-partnership models, Comat enables governments and private
enterprises to reach citizens with a host of services and products, under a
single window. Comat is a private equity and venture capital funded profitable
Company based in Bangalore, India.
About Hughes Network
Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in
providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises,
governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet encompasses all
broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of
satellite and terrestrial technologies. Hughes has shipped more than 1.2
million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Its broadband satellite
products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU
standards organisations, including IPoS, RSM-A and GMR-1.
Headquartered
outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales
and support offices world-wide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes
Communications, Inc.
Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks of
Hughes Network Systems, LLC.
(source: Hughes Network Systems)
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