Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC is an American telecommunications company that provides satellite-based communication services for consumer and enterprise markets. It is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland and provides satellite internet services under the brand HughesNet. HughesNet has 622,000 subscribers as of August 2026, down from over a million in 2023, and 1.4 million in 2022. Hughes Network Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar, which acquired its former parent company, Hughes Communications, in 2011.

In August 2026, Hughes Network Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing sustained loss of subscribers to SpaceXStarlink and other low earth orbit satellite competitors. Hughes laid off 400 employees, approximately one-third of their workforce, and is asking the court to restructure the company to address the significant shortfall in cash for operations.