www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, today announced that its Brazilian operating unit, Hughes do Brasil, has signed agreements with two top Brazilian cellular operators to provide satellite backhaul services connecting remote cellular base transceiver stations (BTS) to their GSM networks. The two contracts call for providing turn-key managed services for connecting a total of 79 BTS sites over a 60 month period.

The federal government in Brazil has created incentives for cellular operators to provide service to remote, unserved areas. In exchange for granting spectrum and licenses for delivery of 3G voice, data, and video services in lucrative urban locations, the government is requiring operators to provide cellular service in remote areas that have no cellular coverage today.
“In Brazil, GSM backhaul over satellite is a triple-win solution,” said Delio Morais, president of Hughes do Brasil. “Operators can grow their businesses and build revenue while complying with universal service obligations (USO); the government is furthering its policy to increase cellular penetration throughout the country; and people in remote areas gain the benefits of improved communications, thereby enriching their lives.” (more…)