Hughes Network Systems, a US-based provider of satellite broadband networks and services, has announced that its Brazilian operating entity, Hughes do Brasil, has won a public tender and signed a 36-month contract with Prodam, a data processing company of the state of Amazonas, Brazil, to deploy a turnkey broadband network system that combines WiMAX and WiFi access technologies with satellite backhaul.
According to Hughes, using its service, Prodam is expected to provide high-speed wireless internet access service to customers throughout all 61 municipalities of Amazonas, including government agencies, small businesses, and the public at large.
The project calls for Hughes to install and operate WiMAX and WiFi wireless base stations in every municipality, together with over 900 wireless customer premises terminals, all as an integrated service delivered over its nationwide HughesNet broadband satellite network. In Manaus, the hub is connected to Prodam’s data center and to the internet.
The contract also calls for completion of the installation process within 12 months. In the first phase, 15 municipalities will receive the service, which includes the WiMAX network connecting various public agencies and a Wi-Fi hotspot for wireless public internet access.
Eduardo Braga, governor of the State of Amazonas, said: This technology will enhance our ability to better govern the entire territory, improving the dissemination of information to our citizens and assisting decision making in all areas of the administration, be it health, education, public security, or the environment.
