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HELIUS INTRODUCES E-RATE INTERNET BUNDLE AT NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING CONFERENCE

"One-stop shopping" for high-bandwidth Internet connectivity via satellite allows universal access, quick set-up and ongoing affordability

NECC, ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – June 22, 1999 – In concert with last month's decision by the Federal Communications Commission to dedicate $2.25 billion to connect every remote school, library and rural health care provider to the Internet, Helius, Inc., today announced the Helius E-Rate Bundle at the National Educational Computing Conference. The product and service solution provides schools with one-stop shopping for Internet connectivity. Coming complete with the Helius Satellite Router, a mini satellite dish and the recurring access service, as well as the Virtual Technician (SM) remote support, all Helius Bundle set-up and recurring costs qualify for the FCC-funded "e-rate" (Schools, Libraries and Rural Health Care Federal Universal Service Support Mechanism).

"Expensive phone lines can take months to install," said Helius CEO Myron Mosbarger. "Since Helius delivers high-bandwidth connectivity via satellite, schools can have a mini dish installed and be up and running in two to four hours at a fraction of the cost. With four simple connectionsÇphone, power, satellite and networkÇschools can immediately harness the power of the Internet."

Offered with the Helius E-Rate Bundle is the Virtual Technician service. It enables Helius support representatives to configure, service and maintain school systems' Internet connectivity anywhere in the world from company headquarters in Utah, eliminating the delays and expense of waiting for service technicians to come on site.

Helius' Unique Internet Solutions for Education

Using Helius Optimized™ satellite interface technology, Helius is able to deliver concurrent Internet access to as many as 250 users, at speeds up to two times faster than T-1. Among the more than 1,000 sites powered by Helius' data-over-satellite solutions are schools in the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation–some located in areas so remote that telephone lines have not been installed. Dr. David Basham, Director of the Navajo Learning Network, describes the Helius data-over-satellite solution as "the only affordable option for us." Dr. Basham continues, "Every day that our educators and students are deprived of Internet access puts them farther behind their cohorts in urban areas. Our partnership with Helius has allowed us to provide Internet access in remote areas well over a year before the telecommunications company could do it."

In rural Mississippi, Laura Sullivan, coordinator of media services for the Laurel School District, continues to find that the speed and reliability delivered throughout the Helius system make it possible to "use the Internet as an effective teaching tool." She explains, "We are pretty heavy [Internet] users, and our satellite solution from Helius has made it very painless for us to have reliable and useful Internet access."

"Since it is difficult to get experienced technicians to our area in a timely fashion, we were glad to know that a vendor could access the router from their offices and make adjustments or repairs if anything went wrong," Linda Smith, instructional media coordinator for the Lassen County Office of Education in Susanville, Calif., commented. "With the Helius Satellite Router we'll never have to wait for a technician to drive here or be left talking on the phone, trying to explain what the system is doing."

More E-Rate Perspective

In a May 27, 1999, address at the Fifth Annual White House Community Empowerment Conference, President Bill Clinton expressed his commitment to e-rate funding. "[E-rate] is part of our commitment to hook up every school and every library in this country by the year 2000 to the Internet and make sure that all the schools and all the libraries in the smallest, poorest rural areas and the most densely populated poor urban areas, on every Native American reservation, everywhere, that they will all be able to afford to use this invaluable service." The U.S. Conference of Mayors echoes President Clinton's commitment in a letter to FCC Chairman Bill Kennard. "The E-Rate program provides a most crucial platform for our most under-served schools to get online. The E-rate program helps bridge the gap between wealthy, poor, urban and rural communities by providing the deepest discounts to those with the greatest need."

Product Availability and Company Perspective

Pricing for the Helius E-Rate Bundle starts at $2,429, and recurring service costs start at $109 per month. Professional installation is available at additional cost. For more information, contact Richard Jackman at 1-888-764-9020; or e-mail to press@helius.com.

Helius, Inc. is the premier - both "first" and "highest quality" - developer of data-over-satellite solutions for local area networks (LANs). Helius provides Internet service to tens of thousands of users throughout the world. As an authorized reseller of Hughes Network Systems (NYSE: GMH) DirecPC products and services, the company's Helius Optimized™ software improves the efficiency and usability of satellite transmissions for thousands of networked users throughout the world. A privately owned Orem, Utah-based company founded in 1995, Helius is a Canopy Group holding under the Ray Noorda/Canopy Group Investment Company. Ray Noorda is the former CEO of Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL). For more information about Helius and Helius products, visit http://www.helius.com or call 1-888-764-9020.

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Helius and Helius Optimized are trademarks and Virtual Technician is a service mark of Helius, Inc.

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