EchoStar
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|
| Public | |
| Traded as | NASDAQ: SATS |
| Industry | Telecommunication |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Headquarters | Inverness, Colorado, U.S. |
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Key people
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| Products | Digital Set-Top Box, Satellite Services |
| Revenue |
 US$3.056 billion (2016) |
 US$364.4 million (2016) |
|
|
US$179.9 million (2016) |
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| Total assets |
US$9.008 billion (2016) |
| Total equity |
US$3.920 billion (2016) |
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Number of employees
|
4000 Q4 (Dec '16) |
| Subsidiaries |
Sling Media Hughes Communications |
| Website | www.echostar.com |
EchoStar Corporation is a global satellite services provider and developer of hybrid video delivery technologies. It is the owner and operator of the satellite fleet for closely affiliated Dish Network. The company also designs and manufactures set-top boxes to receive the Freeview broadcasts in the United Kingdom, and receivers for Bell TV in Canada. It also owns Sling Media, which designs and builds the Slingbox TV streaming device, and satellite internet provider Hughes Communications. Prior to 2008, it operated the Dish Network service brand, which was spun off as Dish Network Corporation on January 1, 2008.
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. On March 4, 1996, it established the Dish Network brand name to market its home satellite TV system.
In 1998, EchoStar purchased the broadcasting assets of a satellite broadcasting joint venture of News Corporation's ASkyB and MCI Worldcom. With this purchase the firm obtained 28 of the 32 transponder licenses in the 110° W orbital slot, more than doubling existing CONUS broadcasting capacity at a value of $682.5 million. The acquisition inspired the company to introduce a multi-satellite system called DISH 500, theoretically capable of receiving more than 500 channels on one dish.
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Wikipedia