HP, Hughes ally on satellite data delivery scheme

Two companies in the throes of highly visible mergers--Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Hughes Network Systems (HNS)--are working work together in a broadband satellite delivery service program called DirecWay Content Delivery Services (CDS) to bring two-way satellite data delivery to a broader commercial audience.

DirecWay CDS is a suite of managed services that include multicast streaming, multicast delivery, video on demand and network acceleration. It’s aimed primarily at the larger enterprise space, said Steve Hanney, worldwide director of HP’s service provider program.

“We’re looking at the opportunity to accelerate the adoption of satellite as a distribution media into the business sector,” said Hanney. The primary targets are big business and government, and “it’s not a high-priority investment in the middle markets,” he said.

The partnership uses pieces from each company to deliver a whole package. DirecWay CDS delivers bandwidth-intensive content via HNS’ satellite broadband network to an HP media cache appliance. Users can then access particular content, which is intelligently preloaded at each site.

“There are a large number of companies out there today--even government agencies--that do not have access to high-bandwidth service,” said Hanney. “DirecWay CDS … is a way to get off the ground very quickly with a service to provide broadband-type delivery. The ability to just hang a satellite dish on the side of an office and get access to content through that is an important step.”

The network can scale to connect “a couple hundred” sites to “many thousands of sites” based on the scale of the company that’s using the equipment, Hanney said.

The two companies’ relationship, in which HNS joins the HP Service Provider Program, is separate from HNS’ merger with DirecTV or HP’s merger with Compaq, Hanney said.

HP has worked with EchoStar, but “we still work with them as two separate entities,” Hanney said. “This is very much targeted around the Hughes relationship.”

He was tighter lipped about any potential impact from Compaq, declining to discuss that ongoing merger at all.