Xplornet Announces Agreement for Hughes JUPITER 3 Satellite

WOODSTOCK, NB – Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada’s leading rural broadband service provider, today announced the next advancement in broadband technology that will bring rural Canadians faster speeds and more data.

Xplornet has entered into a lifetime agreement with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), for substantially all of Canadian satellite broadband capacity on Hughes’ next-generation JUPITER 3 Ultra High Density Satellite.

For rural Canadians, the JUPITER 3 satellite will make Internet download speeds of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) available. Planned for launch in 2021, the satellite is designed to provide coverage of 90% of Canada’s population and will bring about 50 Gbps of capacity to current and potential Xplornet customers.

“At Xplornet, we are extremely proud to invest in innovative, new broadband technologies that put rural Canadians first,” said Allison Lenehan, President and CEO of Xplornet. “We welcome the opportunity to continue our long-standing relationship with Hughes to add this third Jupiter satellite to our network, which will deliver dramatically faster speeds up to 100 Mbps to our loyal customers, connecting them to what matters.”

Once in commercial operation, Xplornet’s new Internet service is anticipated to deliver more data and the fastest residential download speeds offered via satellite in Canada, at 100 megabits per second. The total value of the investment for capacity, gateway equipment, operational support and consumer premise equipment is over $250 million (USD).

“For more than a decade, Xplornet has teamed with Hughes for satellite capacity and equipment to help them bring the benefits of broadband to Canadians,” said Paul Gaske, Executive Vice President and General Manager, North America, at Hughes. “We look forward to supporting Xplornet in delivering essential, high-speed broadband to Canadians for years to come.”

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