Hughes Network Systems (HNS) today announced that Enterprise Rent-A-Car has signed a contract to obtain a new and technologically advanced VSAT network from HNS, with plans for more than 4,400 locations in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Enterprise Rent-a-Car is the largest rental car company in the United States.
"We have used a VSAT network for the past five years and know it is a
cost-effective technology to meet the requirements of our geographically
dispersed online, real-time processing environment," stated William Snyder,
vice president, and chief information officer, Enterprise Rent-a-Car. "When it
came time to update our network, we wanted a company that had a product in
service that was technologically advanced and would be responsive to our
unique needs as Enterprise continues to grow. We wanted to form a long-term
relationship with a company, and with HNS' leadership and experience, we felt
it best fit our needs."
With offices on two continents, a satellite-based network offers
Enterprise significant cost, availability, speed, and flexibility advantages
over traditional, land-based alternatives. Enterprise operates two earth
station facilities at their St. Louis headquarters: one dedicated to serving
more than 3,200 domestic U.S. locations operating from the Telstar 4
satellite, the other supporting their European locations using an Orion
satellite. The Canadian locations are currently operated from a shared hub
using a Telesat satellite.
Enterprise uses the network for its core business applications The
company's host computing environment consists of 23 IBM AS/400 computers, the
largest such configured installation in the country. Enterprise's host site is
connected via the satellite network to more than 3,500 worldwide rental
locations.
"Enterprise can be guaranteed of our ongoing support for all their VSAT
hardware, software, and network needs for many years to come," stated Dennis
Conti, vice president North American Sales and Marketing, Satellite Networks
Division, HNS. "Our commitment to quality, progress, and service, as well as
continued research and development, ensures that Enterprise, and all of our
customers, will benefit from the latest advances in VSAT technology. We are
extremely proud to have been selected by, and associated with, such a
professional and well-managed business that is, in its own right, the leader
within its industry."
A world leader in satellite products and services for more than 25 years,
HNS has 65 percent of the global VSAT market and has nearly 200,000 VSATs.
Headquartered in Germantown, MD, near Washington, DC, the company has sales
and support offices worldwide. HNS offers communications network solutions
that include a complete line of integrated satellite and enterprise networking
products encompassing VSATs, frame relay, and fixed and mobile wireless
networks. HNS is a Hughes Electronics Corporation company and an ISO-9001-
certified manufacturer. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to
calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common
stock.
