August 20, 2019 – Hughes Network Systems, in partnership with Virtual Network Communications (VNC), announced new joint solutions to extend mobile network connectivity using an integrated combination of VNC’s deployable LTE technology with Hughes JUPITER and HM satellite systems. The new solutions support various global applications for government, militaries, first responders, and commercial Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). Designed to provide wireless coverage for soldiers or first responders, the new Hughes HeloCell Solution integrates VNC’s LTE technology with the Hughes HeloSat Solution, which provides Beyond Line of Sight (BLoS) communications on rotary-wing aircraft. For military and emergency applications, the Hughes and VNC technologies combine to form an “airborne cell tower” when installed aboard a helicopter or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The solution provides an extended cellular coverage radius of tens of kilometers, with the satellite terminal backhauling the mobile traffic to and from the network core. The solution can also scale to support more than 100 simultaneous active users on a single, layered system architecture. The VNC LTE technology can also be integrated with the JUPITER System to backhaul mobile traffic, enabling MNOs to quickly and cost-effectively provide 4G access to people in areas unserved or underserved by terrestrial connectivity – especially in remote and hard-to-reach areas. In tests, the integrated solution sent 4G LTE traffic to the core network at speeds of 200 Mbps.