COMSYS: Hughes dominates VSAT industry
May 10, 2017
Hughes Network Systems, was again confirmed as the leading global provider in both enterprise and consumer sectors of the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite communications industry by London-based COMSYS, one of the industry’s leading research organisations. This continues a legacy that dates back more than 30 years since Hughes invented and deployed the first commercial satellite network in the mid-80s.
The 14th Edition of the COMSYS VSAT Report states that Hughes was the #1 VSAT vendor in 2016 in terms of units shipped (consumer and enterprise) and total revenue from hardware sales. For the year, Hughes shipped 44.3 per cent of all enterprise VSATs and 57 per cent of all consumer VSATs.
Historically, Hughes combined enterprise and consumer VSAT market share stands at 50.2 per cent, with more than 5.5 million units shipped to more than 100 countries. “Hughes’ presence casts a shadow over almost every player in the market,” according to the report.
COMSYS attributed Hughes success to the company’s in-depth understanding of the global marketplace and its customers, as well as its continuing creation and delivery of innovative solutions to meet their changing needs.
“The company has consistently beaten its competitors to the punch in terms of the delivery of new breakthroughs in technology – in mid-2016 it released the first DVB-S2X VSAT platform at least six months ahead of every other competitor,” said Susan Bull, senior analyst at COMSYS.
The report cites several key drivers behind customers’ decisions to choose Hughes:
- Market leadership
- Understanding of competitive pricing
- Cutting-edge products
- Confidence the system will work reliably
“Hughes is the only company which has been able to demonstrate sustained leadership in technology, market share and financial results in the VSAT business. This undoubtedly gives its customers a confidence which cannot be matched by others,” Bull added.
The report also shows that Hughes continues to lead in the North American market, with a 55 per cent share of the consumer market for its HughesNet service, the world’s largest satellite network with over 1 million subscribers. Hughes has a 66.9 per cent share of the North American enterprise market, with its nearest competitor having about a quarter of the sites that Hughes has in service.
“Market leadership is not so much a goal but rather a by-product of our uncompromising focus on engineering the best technology and services that our customers need,” said Pradman Kaul, president of Hughes. “We welcome the market accolades but we are not resting on them, and this COMSYS report gives us a new set of benchmarks to exceed in the coming years.”