Global satellite services provider
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
and
Boost Infinite
brands.
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]
History
[
edit
]
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]
Satellite fleet
[
edit
]
- Orbital locations may change
Since EchoStar frequently moves satellites among its many orbiting slots this list is not necessarily up-to-date.
EchoStar satellites
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 V
521
|
|
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 V
431
|
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
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"EchoStar Corporation 2021 Annual Report (Form 10-K)"
.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
. February 24, 2022.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2024.
- ^
Moritz, Scott (August 8, 2023).
"Dish to Buy EchoStar as Ergen's TV Empire Shifts to Wireless"
.
Bloomberg News
.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2024
. Retrieved
December 16,
2023
.
- ^
"EchoStar"
.
Fortune
. Retrieved
June 9,
2024
.
- ^
Ford, Dominic.
"ECHOSTAR 1"
.
in-the-sky.org
.
Archived
from the original on October 11, 2023
. Retrieved
March 4,
2019
.
- ^
Hogan, Monica (March 18, 2006).
"EchoStar Toasts a Decade of Dish Network"
.
Multichannel News
.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2023
. Retrieved
March 4,
2019
.
- ^
"SEC Filing"
.
ir.dish.com
.
Archived
from the original on October 11, 2023
. Retrieved
October 31,
2019
.
- ^
Savitz, Eric.
"EchoStar Completes Spinoff; Worth More In Parts?"
.
www.barrons.com
.
Dow Jones & Company
.
Archived
from the original on October 11, 2023
. Retrieved
March 4,
2019
.
- ^
de la Merced, Michael J. (February 14, 2011).
"EchoStar in $1.3 Billion Deal for Hughes Communications"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2024.
- ^
a
b
"EchoStar Announces Agreement to Transfer BSS Business to DISH"
(Press release). EchoStar Corporation. May 20, 2019.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2023
. Retrieved
October 31,
2019
.
- ^
"EchoStar Announces Exchange Agreement for Tracking Stock"
(Press release). EchoStar Corporation. January 31, 2017.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2023
. Retrieved
October 31,
2019
.
- ^
Foust, Jeff (March 16, 2017).
"SpaceX launches EchoStar 23"
.
SpaceNews
.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2024
. Retrieved
March 4,
2019
.
- ^
Grush, Loren (March 13, 2017).
"SpaceX successfully launched a communications satellite on its Falcon 9 rocket"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on October 5, 2022
. Retrieved
August 7,
2017
.
- ^
Boyle, Alan (March 16, 2017).
"After delay, SpaceX launches EchoStar satellite ? but forgoes rocket landing"
.
GeekWire
.
Archived
from the original on March 16, 2017
. Retrieved
August 7,
2017
.
- ^
"EchoStar Announces Completion of the Spin-Off and Merger of its BSS Business"
(Press release). EchoStar Corporation. September 10, 2019.
Archived
from the original on October 1, 2023
. Retrieved
October 31,
2019
.
- ^
Wprin, Alex; Szalai, George.
"Charlie Ergen Wants to Reunite His Telecom Empire Via All-Stock Merger of Dish Network and EchoStar"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on August 17, 2023.
- ^
"DISH Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation to Combine"
(Press release).
Dish Network
. August 8, 2023.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2024.
- ^
Davis, Wes (January 2, 2024).
"Dish Network rejoins EchoStar as it tries to compete in 5G"
.
The Verge
. Retrieved
February 22,
2024
.
- ^
Alleven, Monica (January 2, 2024).
"Dish-EchoStar merger closes"
.
Fierce Wireless
. Retrieved
February 23,
2024
.
- ^
Corporation, EchoStar.
"EchoStar Awarded a U.S. Navy Wireless and Telecommunications Contract to Provide 5G Smart Devices and Services for the DoD and Federal Agencies"
.
www.prnewswire.com
. Retrieved
May 16,
2024
.
- ^
Corporation, EchoStar.
"DISH TV and Hughes Debut First Bundled Service Offering to Enhance Connectivity and Entertainment Across Rural America"
.
www.prnewswire.com
. Retrieved
May 28,
2024
.
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