HNS Tops 12 Million in STB Receivers

Hughes Network Systems (HNS), the Germantown, Md.-based broadband satellite unit of Hughes Electronics [NYSE: GMH], announced Monday that it had shipped 12 million DirecTV satellite receivers since it began production in 1996. In the second quarter, HNS shipped 750,000 DirecTV receiver systems compared to 512,000 units in the second quarter of 2002, which represents a 30 percent increase in production and shipment over the same time period last year.

HNS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pradman Kaul said his company expects the demand for set-top box receivers “to continue its steady growth as consumers increasingly embrace TiVo and DVR [digital video recorder] products.”