Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite solutions and services, has said that the JUPITER Gateway and user terminals have successfully completed their factory and field qualifications and are now operational, delivering high-speed, end-to-end system traffic over the AMC 15 Ka-band satellite.

Crossing this major milestone paves the way for the launch in Q2 2012 of JUPITER, a next-generation, high throughput satellite, which will deliver HughesNet Gen4 broadband satellite Internet services across North America.

Hughes is in the process of installing and testing the infrastructure for the JUPITER system with the initial Gateway providing support for multiple spot beams across the United States. Use of the Echostar AMC 15 Ka-band satellite is enabling Hughes to validate the user experience and high-speed service plans that will be delivered to subscribers starting in the summer of 2012. Designed with more download capacity than any other satellite in the world, the new JUPITER satellite will utilize an enhanced version of the IPoS standard, the world's leading broadband satellite standard approved by ETSI, TIA and ITU.