HNS Unveils Video-Conferencing Tool

Germantown, Md.-based Hughes Network Systems (HNS), a global provider of satellite broadband products and services, introduced what it calls a comprehensive package of services for companies looking to distribute high-impact digital content to their employees and customers. Direcway Multimedia Services (MMS) is available as a value-added option with the Direcway service delivery plat-form. The company says the suite of services expands Direcway’s broadband applications and enables organizations to capitalize on opportunities in the emerging world of video-based services that include corporate television, video Web conferencing, multimedia, real-time distance learning, digital advertising and digital signage.

“Direcway MMS gives organizations a comprehensive, one-stop solution that takes advantage of the inherent multicasting capabilities of satellites,” said Emil Regard, vice president of North American marketing at HNS. In addition, Direcway MMS is multicast- enabled, whereas cable, DSL, frame relay and other technologies are not inherently multicast and cannot match Direcway’s high bandwidth and rich media streaming capabilities, he added.

A Yankee Group study found that corporations represent one of the biggest market segments for streaming video technology. Nearly 35 percent of companies reporting more than 100 employees use it for employee training alone, 27 percent use it for marketing and advertising applications, and 25 percent use it for training customers and business partners. A recent report by Interactive Media Strategies found that 34 percent of the marketing and sales executives surveyed expected their Webcast spending to increase, and roughly 20 percent of that group expects the budget for multimedia applications to increase by 50 percent next year.

(Judy Blake, HNS, 301/601-7330)