Hughes Network Systems Leads at Satellite 2011 Conference

Germantown-based Hughes Network Systems is making a big showing this week at the Satellite 2011 conference in Washington, D.C.

Engineers and executives from the company are leading seminars to discuss how wireless technology is creating a promising outlook for the satellite industry.

Hughes already employs about 1,400 people at two sites in Germantown. The company plans to hire an unspecified number of new employees soon, said Jeff Biber, vice president of Hughes Network Systems.

"We've been growing the past several years," he said.

Satellite communications are bursting into the consumer electronics industry with products such as iPods, Blackberries, laptop computers and global positioning satellites to help motorists navigate to their destinations.

During the conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Biber spoke about the best technical methods to ensure the quality of voice, data and video transmissions by satellite.

"The satellite has nuances that do not exist in the terrestrial world," he said.To avoid disruptions in its satellite transmissions, Hughes is trying to "use mechanisms that have predictive ability," Biber said.

Satellite communications companies must compete to share the airwaves amid a "rise in demand for satellite bandwidth," said Marc Nadon, president of LinkSat Inc.Ron Long, vice president for CapRock Communications, said, "I would say that demand will continue to outstrip capacity."

So far, the companies have been challenged to find employees with the technical expertise to design and operate the satellite systems.Other Hughes executives at the Satellite 2011 conference discussed their plans to upgrade their satellites to handle more Internet traffic, how to expand use of satellite communications for the maritime industry and opening new markets in Eastern Europe.

Rick Lober, Hughes' general manager of its defense and intelligence systems division, plans to speak at a seminar on how the commercial satellite industry can help the U.S. Defense Department meet its need for communications during mobile deployments.

Less than a month ago, satellite television giant EchoStar announced it would buy Germantown-based Hughes Communications for $2 billion. Hughes Communications sells satellite-based Internet services.