Hughes Network Systems announces that its European operating entity, Hughes Europe, has completed the roll-out of a high-quality HN System solution for Telefonica Espana to deliver satellite-based VoIP rural telecommunications services. The implementation had to meet the very tight compliance deadlines imposed by the Spanish authorities, which Hughes successfully met.

The rural network installation by Hughes is the latest project in a highly successful 15-year relationship working with the Spanish telecoms giant. For Telefonica Espana, the Hughes solution offered the ideal combination of cost-effective equipment performance, lower operational cost, and minimal implementation risk. And, because of the companies' long-standing relationship, Telefonica had complete confidence in Hughes' ability to deliver.

The new communications services are made possible through the installation of a second switching centre interconnecting the rural satellite VoIP network to the national telephony network. These services are available to new customers based in remote/rural areas and to existing customers migrating from the existing TRAC network (Telefonia Rural de Acceso Celular -- Rural Telephony with Cellular Access) to the satellite-based VoIP network. The network comprises approximately 8,000 terminals, of which 80 percent are residential, 15 percent public telephony for city councils, and 5 percent for small/medium enterprises.

The satellite platform incorporates dedicated equipment supporting VoIP, including IP gateways and voice servers, and shares resources with other satellite-based networks providing broadband Internet access to rural areas of Spain and residential/SME access.