Hughes debuts low-latency broadband that mixes satellite and cellular

Hughes Network Systems has begun to roll out a low-latency option for its satellite broadband service that stitches in connectivity to a terrestrial cellular network.

The new option, called HughesNet Fusion, is being billed as a “multipath” offering that combines access to Hughes’ existing geostationary (GEO) satellite and the supported, nearby cellular network.

“We are rapidly entering an era in which hybrid connectivity – both multi-transport and multi-orbit – will be commonplace,” Hughes President Pradman Kaul said in a statement.

Hughes, a unit of EchoStar, declined to say whose cellular network is being tapped into for the low-latency connection, other than to say it’s using commercial cell phone signals from a major US mobile provider.

Possible candidates include T-Mobile and AT&T, which both have MVNO relationships with Hughes’ corporate cousin Dish Network. Dish, meanwhile, is building out its own 5G network.

Adapted from platform originally for enterprise customers

The HughesNet Fusion consumer-facing option evolved from the company’s ActiveComms Ecosystem, originally developed for the enterprise side of the business, according to Hughes SVP Peter Gulla. The general idea is to utilize the multipath technology to attach cellular signals for low-latency applications and services that can be delivered in concert with the primary satellite broadband offering.

The system developed by Hughes monitors traffic and determines if an app or service can be run on the GEO satellite without any issues or if they should be fed by a cellular connection.

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