Via Satellite Magazine Honors Hughes Chairman ⊄ CEO Pradman Kaul

Pradman Kaul

Pradman Kaul, Chairman & CEO of Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services was recently named Via Satellite magazine’s “Satellite Executive of the Year” for 2008.

Hughes clientele encompasses large enterprises, governments, small businesses and consumers, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 1.5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH).

Visionary and Entrepreneur

“Pradman Kaul has proven himself a visionary and entrepreneur in the satellite marketplace, a fact which is confirmed by his success in 2008,” said Jason Bates, editor of Via Satellite. “Thanks to Kaul’s leadership and the acumen of his experienced management team, we are looking forward to what will be accomplished by Hughes in 2009 and beyond.” For the past 21 years, Via Satellite magazine has been honoring the satellite executive who made a lasting business impact on the global satellite industry during the previous calendar year.

Showcasing Kaul in the magazine’s March 2009 issue, Bates further states, “The ability of Pradman Kaul and his executive team at Hughes Network Systems to anticipate the evolution of the satellite market has placed the company firmly atop VSAT field and in position as one of the leaders in the growing satellite broadband niche. It is this ability to grow and evolve that has kept Hughes a leader in the Market place and earned Kaul Satellite’s Executive of the Year Award.”

Via Satellite, the satellite community’s leading magazine, keeps its 22,000 global subscribers ‘in the know’ by providing essential news and analysis on the commercial communications, broadcast, military and enterprise sectors of the satellite marketplace. Every issue includes information on current and evolving applications, infrastructure issues, technology, procurement reports and business and regulatory developments around the world.

2008 Year of Numerous Accomplishments

2008 was a year of many accomplishments for Kaul and his team, starting with the commercial launch of the SPACEWAY? 3 broadband satellite system, an effort initiated more than a decade ago. Hughes maintained its leading market share in the enterprise VSAT market, posting a strong series of wins in both North America and internationally, while growing its successful HughesNet high-speed satellite Internet access business to well over 400,000 consumer/SMB subscribers in the U.S.

“It is indeed an honor to receive this recognition. “2008 was especially significant because our team succeeded in validating SPACEWAY 3’s commercial success, rolling out nationwide service to over 100,000 new customers, while continuing to expand our broadband satellite footprint worldwide.”

“The people that started Hughes left Comsat Laboratories and had the vision to see that digital satellite communications would be the future,” Kaul said. “A lot of people didn’t see it that way at the time. The first digital systems used SCPC, TDMA and other technologies were developed at Digital Communications Corp., the name of our company in the 1970s. We started in a garage in Rockville, Md and have always been leaders in digital space. It was a $2 million market in the beginning but even then we had a greater than a 50% share.” Inducted in SSPI

Kaul was presented with his award at the “Satellite Executive of the Year” award luncheon on March 26 followed by a gala reception in his honor later in the evening. The two events took place during the SATELLITE 2009 Conference and Exhibition, which ran from March 24-27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

Kaul was also inducted into the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Hall of Fame on March 25, one of the five industry leaders recognized for career accomplishments in satellite communication. “We are pleased to honor Pradman Kaul for his outstanding business and technology leadership in a long career with Hughes,” said Robert Bell, executive director of SSPI. “Kaul was instrumental in developing industry-changing and innovative technologies, such as the TDMA satellite communications system, VSAT technology, digital set-top boxes and the Internet Protocol over Satellite (IPoS) standard. Kaul is truly a visionary and pioneer who has made possible the age of satellite communications.”

Distinguished Career

Beginning his Hughes career as director of engineering, Pradman Kaul was responsible for the development of new digital communications equipment for handling voice, data and television. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer and subsequently was appointed president in 1990. He also is vice president for Hughes Corporation. Kaul holds a BSEE from George Washington University and an MSEE from the University of California, Berkeley.

With several patents in communications, the 62-year-old Kaul has several patents in telecommunications. He was appointed Hughes’ Chief Executive Officer and President since 2000. He was also appointed to, and has served as Chairman of, HNS’ Board of Managers since April 22, 2005. Previously, Kaul served as the Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and Director of Engineering of HNS.

BY ANU SHARMA