Hughes Network Systems, LLC, specializing in broadband satellite networks and services, has introduced its new M2M broadband service.

This enables utility, energy and other industries using remote unmanned equipment to extend faster network intelligence to the entire infrastructure, regardless of hard-to-reach locations or environmental conditions.

The new Hughes (News - Alert) offering will also enhance operational efficiency, maintenance and security of critical infrastructures cost effectively, said Hughes officials.

The M2M broadband service is ideally suited for electric, gas and water utilities, oil and gas pipelines, compressors and well sites, railways, energy producers and other industries, which receive huge volumes of data from remote devices to keep their operations ready and on high alert.

In a release, Mike Tippets, vice president of the Enterprise Solutions Group at Hughes, said, “New applications like the smart grid are causing explosive growth in the machines, sensors, and devices that must be networked to maintain reliability and control of critical infrastructures.”

“Older M2M networks can no longer handle the growing data load nor the speeds required for real-time communications with these devices. Our Hughes M2M broadband service is designed for these critical infrastructures that must not fail even in the severest of conditions,” Tippets added.

The Hughes M2M service will help companies meet new regulatory requirements for monitoring and control of their infrastructure ensuring optimum network coverage to even the most isolated or challenging locations. The full suite of service plans and hardware can meet a range of speed, environmental and physical format requirements, added company sources.

Hughes M2M is a fully managed broadband solution and the offered managed services include 24/7 operations, network management, proactive fault resolution and field maintenance.

Tippets added, “Our Hughes M2M service represents the most advanced of today's IP-based satellite networks, providing high-speed connectivity, 99.99 percent availability, and virtually 100 percent nationwide coverage, making it ideal for large distributed M2M networks. And that includes broadband connectivity to mobile workforces, enabling those in the field to always stay connected with headquarters and other offices.”

Hughes M2M service can operate as a backhaul network for smart meter data collection on utility pole-mounted devices, or for SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) applications at electric substations or along gas pipelines. It is suitable where security is critical to the applications. The secure network service with strong encryption that does not connect to the open Internet ensures maximum security.