GERMANTOWN, Md., Feb. 1, 2006 -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HNS) announced today that it has been selected by Casey's General Stores, Inc. to provide managed broadband services to 1,400 convenience store locations. A current HNS customer, Casey's will upgrade to Hughes' managed broadband services, enabling it to take advantage of greater network efficiency and to deploy new IP-based applications.

Casey's initially considered moving to an all-terrestrial network solution. However, after weighing the benefits of HNS' combined terrestrial and satellite broadband offering against its business needs, Iowa-based Casey's decided that a predominantly satellite solution was best suited to its operations. Operating in nine Midwestern states, Casey's stores are in rural areas where terrestrial broadband options are limited. HNS' managed broadband services provide ubiquitous, site-optimized coverage at all 1,400 stores, regardless of geography.

Casey's also selected HNS based on their long-term relationship, and the high quality of HNS' solutions and customer support. According to Brad Heyer, Casey's vice president of information systems, having the right broadband partner is critical to growing its business.

"HNS has provided Casey's with reliable network performance and excellent support for more than four years, making the move from our current network to their new managed broadband services an obvious choice," Heyer said. "We'll have a solid foundation from which to scale our network and to incorporate more bandwidth-intensive applications as we develop them. We look forward to reaping the benefits of HNS' managed broadband service to meet our evolving business needs."

Using managed broadband services from HNS, Casey's can:

-- conduct polling at each retail location;

-- enhance customer service with improved business transactions; and

-- future proof its network through flexible service offerings.

"Our long-term relationship with Casey's General Stores reflects HNS' commitment to providing our customers with reliable, broadband services that help maintain a healthy bottom line," said Ken Cohen, assistant vice president of North American Marketing at HNS. "Designed for companies like Casey's, our new managed broadband services facilitate the deployment of IP-based applications to meet rapidly evolving business needs."

The managed broadband services selected by Casey's General Stores are enabled by HNS' new DW7700 router, which makes network scalability possible on a site-by-site basis, enterprise-wide. Service rollout began in December 2005.

About Casey's General Stores

Founded in 1968, Casey's General Stores are self distributing with store locations in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana. Casey's General Stores are headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa and employ over 14,000 people.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HNS) is the world's leading provider of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers, with more than 850,000 systems ordered or shipped to customers in 85 countries. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite Internet access services and IP-based networks, which it markets globally under the DIRECWAY(R) brand. DIRECWAY terminals are based on the IPoS (IP over Satellite) global standard, approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU standards organizations.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, HNS maintains sales and support offices worldwide. HNS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Hughes), which is wholly owned by SkyTerra Communications, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SKYT). For additional information, please visit http://www.hns.com.

HUGHES and Hughes Network Systems are trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC. DIRECWAY is a registered trademark of The DIRECTV Group, Inc.