HUGHES GLOBAL SERVICES, INC.
Communications and Customer Relations
P.O. Box 92919 (S10/S323)
Los Angeles, CA 90009
(310) 364-6363
www.hughespace.com		 HGS Logo


HUGHES GLOBAL SERVICES ROLLS OUT SKYMEDIATM

LOS ANGELES, April 9, 1998 -- Hughes Global Services, Inc., announces SkyMediaTM, a new digital broadcast system, and its first order from the Social Security Administration, which will use SkyMedia to support its Interactive Video Teletraining Network for distance learning. The $10.6 million award to Hughes is part of a contract awarded to EDS, the prime contractor.

SkyMedia enables users to transmit real-time video or digital data to any subscriber in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands. SkyMedia's services include MPEG2 video, data and internet broadcast. Users may select any or all of these services. SkyMedia is compliant with digital video broadcast (DVB) standards and automatically supports both PAL and NTSC video formats.

Using SkyMedia services, Hughes will provide access to the Ku-band space segment as well as uplink compression equipment, RF equipment, downlink antennas, digital video receivers, and associated equipment maintenance.

"SkyMedia is the first and only digital broadcast service to provide complete coverage using a single satellite transponder, eliminating the complication of using multiple satellites," said Ron Swanson, president of Hughes Global Services. "SkyMedia is highly flexible and is designed for organizations with a need to broadcast high-quality, full-motion video to a dispersed population. While this contract is primarily for video broadcast, we also recognize the need for other types of data transmission, such as high bandwidth digital data and internet access, so we have designed SkyMedia to operate on a common hardware platform, enabling customers to expand service features in the future as their requirements change."

Hughes Global Services is a subsidiary of Hughes Space and Communications Company and was created to provide local, state, and federal agencies, as well as commercial organizations, with access to satellite communications services. Hughes Space and Communications Company is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock.

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