Company type | Public |
---|---|
| |
Industry | Telecommunications Satellite television |
Founded | January 1, 2008 |
Headquarters | Englewood, Colorado, U.S. |
Key people |
|
Products | Direct-broadcast satellite, pay television, pay-per-view, over-the-top media services, Mobile telephony, Wireless broadband |
Revenue | US$1.99 billion (2021) |
US$217 million (2021) | |
US$62.7 million (2021) | |
Total assets | US$6.05 billion (2021) |
Total equity | US$3.41 billion (2021) |
Number of employees | c. 2,500 (2021) |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | echostar |
Footnotes /references [1] |
EchoStar Corporation is an American company providing satellite communication and Internet services. Its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business are operated from its headquarters in Arapahoe County, Colorado. The company also provides television services under the Dish and Sling brands as well as mobile services under the Boost Mobile brand.
The company in its current form was founded in 2008 after the original EchoStar spun off its non-consumer assets while the original company was renamed to Dish Network Corporation. In an industry reverse, Echostar proposed to buy Dish in 2023 with the acquisition being completed by the end of that year, as a result, Dish was absorbed into EchoStar as a whole. [2]
EchoStar made its debut on the Fortune 500 list in 2024, ranking #242. [3]
EchoStar was originally formed in 1980 by its chairman Charles Ergen as a distributor of C band TV systems. In 1987, it applied for a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) license with the Federal Communications Commission and was granted access to orbital slot 119° west longitude in 1992.
On December 28, 1995, the firm successfully launched its first satellite, EchoStar I. [4] On March 4, 1996, it established the DISH Network brand name to market its home satellite TV system. [5]
On January 2, 2008, the DISH Network business was demerged from the technology and infrastructure side of the business. A split in the shares created two companies; the former EchoStar Communications Corporation changed its name to DISH Network Corporation [6] which consisted mainly of the DISH Network business, and EchoStar Corporation, which retained ownership of the technology side including the satellites, Sling Media, and the set-top box development arm. DISH Network completed its distribution to EchoStar of its digital set-top box business, certain infrastructure, and other assets and related liabilities, including certain of their satellites, uplink and satellite transmission assets, and real estate (the "Spin-off"). Since the spin-off, EchoStar and DISH Network have operated as separate publicly traded companies, until they were reunited in 2023. [7] In addition, a substantial majority of the voting power of the shares of DISH Network and EchoStar is owned beneficially by Charles W. Ergen, Chairman, and by certain trusts established by Mr. Ergen for the benefit of his family.
On February 14, 2011, EchoStar announced that it would acquire Hughes Communications in a deal valued at US$1.3 billion. [8]
On January 31, 2017, EchoStar announced that it had reached an agreement with DISH to transfer the EchoStar Technologies businesses, which designed, developed and distributed digital set-top boxes, provided satellite uplinking and broadcast services and developed and supported streaming video technology back to DISH. [9] The transaction was completed on January 31, 2017, [10] substantially returning DISH to its pre-2008 status as a set-top-box hardware manufacturer.
In March 2017, after two delays caused by weather worries, SpaceX delivered EchoStar XXIII into orbit. The satellite was launched on a Falcon 9 Rocket and provides broadcast services for Brazil. [11] Because EchoStar XXIII is a heavy satellite, this mission did not include a rocket landing post-takeoff, as it would require too much fuel. This was the first time a purely commercial satellite was launched from a pad that once served as the base for Apollo moon trips and space shuttle flights. [12] [13]
On May 20, 2019, EchoStar announced [9] that it had reached an agreement with DISH Network Corporation to transfer the portion of the business which managed and provided broadcast satellite services, referred to as the BSS (Broadcast Satellite Services) business, to DISH in order to concentrate on broadband services and other initiatives. The transaction was completed on September 10, 2019. [14]
On August 8, 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ergen was proposing a remerger between Dish and EchoStar. [15] Later that day, the acquisition was formally announced by both companies. [16] On January 2, 2024, it was announced that the transaction had been completed on December 31, 2023. [17] [18]
In May 2024, EchoStar announced that it has been awarded a U.S. Navy Wireless and Telecommunications Contract to Provide 5G Smart Devices and Services for the Department of Defense and Federal Agencies. [19]
In May 2024, Dish Network and Hughes Network Systems, both Echostar companies announced a new bundled service of Dish satellite TV with Hughesnet satellite internet. [20]
Since EchoStar frequently moves satellites among its many orbiting slots this list is not necessarily up-to-date.
Satellite | Location | Launch date | Launcher | Satellite bus | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EchoStar I | December 28, 1995 | Long March 2E/EPKM | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar II | September 11, 1996 | Ariane 42P H10-3 | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar III (DBSC 1) | October 05, 1997 | Atlas IIAS | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar IV | May 07, 1998 | Proton-K/DM-03 | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar V | September 23, 1999 | Atlas IIAS | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar VI | July 14, 2000 | Atlas IIAS | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar VII | February 21, 2002 | Atlas IIIB-DEC | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar VIII | August 22, 2002 | Proton-K/DM-03 | Decommissioned | ||
EchoStar IX (Galaxy 23) | 121° W | August 8, 2003 | Zenit-3SL | FS-1300 | In Service |
EchoStar X | 110° W | February 15, 2006 | Zenit-3SL | A2100AXS | In Service |
EchoStar XI | July 16, 2008 | Zenit-3SL | In Service | ||
EchoStar XII (Rainbow 1) | July 17, 2003 | Atlas V521 | In Service | ||
EchoStar XIII (CMBstar 1) | - | Proton-M/Briz-M | Cancelled | ||
EchoStar XIV | March 20, 2010 | Proton-M/Briz-M | In Service | ||
EchoStar XV | 61.5° W | July 10, 2010 | Proton-M/Briz-M | LS-1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XVI | 61.5° W | November 20, 2012 | Proton-M/Briz-M | LS-1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XVII (Jupiter 1) | 107.0° W | July 5, 2012 | Ariane 5 | LS-1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XVIII | June 18, 2016 | Ariane 5ECA | In Service | ||
EchoStar XIX (Jupiter 2) | 97.1° W | December 18, 2016 | Atlas V431 | SSL 1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XXIII | 109.9° W | March 16, 2017 | Falcon 9 | SSL 1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XXIV (Jupiter 3) | 105.2° W | July 29, 2023 | Falcon Heavy | SSL 1300 | In Service |
EchoStar XXV | TBA | TBA | Planned | ||
EchoStar 105 (SES-11) | 105.0° W | October 11, 2017 | Falcon 9 | Eurostar E3000 | In Service |
DISH Network L.L.C., a subsidiary of EchoStar, provides multichannel television and satellite television via DISH Network as well as over-the-top IPTV services via Sling TV.
Charles William Ergen is an American businessman. He is co-founder and chairman of Dish Network and EchoStar. He stepped down as CEO of Dish in May 2011 in favor of Joseph Clayton. Ergen resumed as CEO upon Clayton's March 2015 retirement and was CEO until December 2017, when he promoted president and COO Erik Carlson to CEO, but remains as chairman. Reuters reported that the move was effected to remove the day-to-day responsibilities of running DISH and provide more time for Ergen to build out the company's emerging wireless business. Ergen owns 48 percent of Dish and 46 percent of Echostar shares. He holds 78 percent of Dish's and 72 percent of EchoStar's total voting power.
Smart Communications Inc., commonly referred to as Smart, is a wholly owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT Inc., a telecommunications and digital services provider based in the Philippines. As of November 2023, it is currently the largest mobile network with 55.2 million subscribers.
KT Corporation, formerly Korea Telecom, is a South Korean telecommunications company. KT is the third-largest wireless carrier in South Korea, with 17.155 million subscribers as of Q4 2023.
Hughes Systique Corporation, (HSC) is a provider of software R&D services. As part of its R&D services, HSC provides Technology Consulting, System Architecture design, Software development, Maintenance and Testing services to Multimedia, Consumer Devices, Telecom/Networking, Wireless/Broadband and Satellite equipment providers.
Hughes Network Systems, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. It is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland and provides satellite internet service. HughesNet has over a million subscribers in the Americas in late 2023, down from 1.4 million in early 2022.
Galaxy 23 is the name given to the C-band service of the Galaxy 23/EchoStar IX communications satellite jointly owned by Intelsat and EchoStar located at 121° W longitude, serving the North American market. It was built by Space Systems/Loral, as part of its FS-1300 line. Galaxy 23 was formerly known as Intelsat Americas 13. The "Galaxy 23" portion of the service provides transponders in the C band. The "EchoStar IX" portion broadcasts Ku band, and Ka band transponders.
TerreStar Corporation (TSTR), formerly Motient Corp. and American Mobile Satellite Corp., was the controlling shareholder of TerreStar Networks Inc., TerreStar National Services, Inc. and TerreStar Global Ltd., and a shareholder of SkyTerra Communications.
Verizon Communications Inc., is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 114.8 million subscribers as of March 31, 2024.
T-Mobile US, Inc. is an American wireless network operator headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. Its largest shareholder is Deutsche Telekom, a German company that operates telecommunications networks in several other countries. T-Mobile is the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States, after Verizon and AT&T, with 31.43% of the market share as of June 13, 2024.
EchoStar VII is an American geostationary communications satellite which was operated by DISH Network, originally EchoStar. It was positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 119° West, from where it is used to provide high-definition television direct broadcasting services to the United States.
TerreStar-1 is an American communications satellite which was operated by TerreStar Corporation. It was constructed by Space Systems/Loral, based on the LS-1300S bus, and carries E/F band transponders which will be used to provide mobile communications to North America. The signals are transmitted by an 18-metre (59 ft) reflector on the satellite. It had a launch mass of 6,910 kilograms (15,230 lb), making it the second most massive single satellite launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit, and the second largest commercial communications satellite ever built. Its record as the most massive communication satellite was surpassed by Telstar 19V launched on Falcon 9 on July 21, 2018, with a mass of 7,076 kilograms (15,600 lb).
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Nimiq-5 is a Canadian communications satellite, operated by Telesat Canada as part of its Nimiq fleet of satellites. It is positioned in geostationary orbit at a longitude of 72.7° West of the Greenwich Meridian. As of July 2015, EchoStar Corporation leases the satellite's entire capacity to provide high-definition television direct-to-home broadcasting for Dish Network Corporation. When accessed using a multi-satellite receiver such as the VIP722k and a multi-satellite dish/LNB combo, such as the Dish-300, Dish-500, or Dish-Turbo 1000.4, the satellite is referred to by the on-screen diagnostics as Echostar 72 W.
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Dish Network has been the subject of a number of criticisms relating to management of advertising, disclosure of fees, telemarketing, employee rights and programming disputes; a number of which resulted in lawsuits. In the early 2000s, Dish Network received criticism regarding controversial technology and carriage disputes with programming providers. Most notably, when the Hopper digital video recorder provided an easy way for viewers to watch certain programming without commercials, major networks sued Dish Network.
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