Many people in urban areas cannot fathom the thought of being denied access to high-speed internet. Sadly, not having access to the internet and feeling disconnected” is a very reality for more rural areas in various countries.

As a result, companies continue to work to bridge what is called the digital divide. The digital divide limits access to educational, economic and social opportunities, as well as the ability to participate in what constitutes the modern world.

Efforts to bridge the digital divide include initiatives to increase access to broadband internet, provide affordable devices such as computers and smartphones, and offer training and support to help people use digital tools effectively. Governments, nonprofits and private organizations alike play roles in bridging the gap to ensure that as many people has possible have equal access to the opportunities offered by the digital age.

This is no different in Mexico.

The Mexican government has prioritized extending internet access to every municipal capital in Mexico through its Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos initiative. Stargroup, a Mexican telecommunications and entertainment company, is part of that initiative. But to extend LTE (News - Alert) service to customers in rural communities and connect hundreds of remote cell towers, Stargroup selected Hughes Network's JUPITER System and managed satellite broadband. Hughes is an EchoStar company.

The JUPITER System is very small aperture terminal, or VSAT, platform from Hughes (News - Alert) for broadband services over high-throughput and conventional satellites. JUPITER features a flexible and robust gateway architecture with lights-out operation, enhanced IPoS air interface for bandwidth efficiency, and performance and high-throughput terminals.

"In areas of the country outside the reach of fiber, the only way to access the internet is by satellite, and Hughes JUPITER technology sets the standard when it comes to LTE backhaul by satellite," said Monica Aguirre, CEO, Stargroup.

With Hughes, Stargroup is connecting hundreds of remote cell towers using Hughes JUPITER System terminals and Hughes JUPITER 2 high-throughput satellite capacity.

The Hughes JUPITER 2 satellite serves as a key link between remote mobile phone users and the internet by providing reliable, high-speed Ka-band capacity and enterprise-grade service level agreements, meeting the standards for service delivery established by CFE Telecom. This is achieved by powering connections from every cell tower to the network core.

At each deployment location, Hughes remote terminals (model number HT2524) optimized for LTE backhaul with GTP acceleration support are used to power services at 20-60 Mbps down, ensuring fast and dependable internet connections for individual users.

"Stargroup's choice of a managed service that combines our high-throughput JUPITER satellite and high-performing ground system will bring more Mexicans the connectivity they need for work, school, their communities and more," said Ramesh Ramaswamy, Executive Vice President, International, EchoStar.

This deployment follows that of several service providers, including Stargroup, that employ Hughes JUPITER System technology to connect more than 7,200 communities’ Wi-Fi and internet access sites across Mexico.