EchoStar Corporation (EchoStar) is a provider of technology, networking services, television entertainment and connectivity, offering consumer, enterprise, operator and government solutions worldwide under its EchoStar, Boost Mobile, Sling TV, DISH TV, Hughes, HughesNet, HughesON, and JUPITER brands.
Segments
The company’s subsidiaries operate three primary business segments: Pay-TV, Wireless, and Broadband and Satellite Services.
Pay-TV
The company offers pay-TV services under the DISH bran...
EchoStar Corporation (EchoStar) is a provider of technology, networking services, television entertainment and connectivity, offering consumer, enterprise, operator and government solutions worldwide under its EchoStar, Boost Mobile, Sling TV, DISH TV, Hughes, HughesNet, HughesON, and JUPITER brands.
Segments
The company’s subsidiaries operate three primary business segments: Pay-TV, Wireless, and Broadband and Satellite Services.
Pay-TV
The company offers pay-TV services under the DISH brand and the SLING brand (collectively ‘Pay-TV’ services). The DISH branded pay-TV service consists of, among other things, FCC licenses authorizing the company to use direct broadcast satellite (‘DBS’) and Fixed Satellite Service (‘FSS’) spectrum, the company’s owned and leased satellites, receiver systems, broadcast operations, a leased fiber optic network, in-home service and call center operations, and certain other assets utilized in its operations (‘DISH TV’).
The company also designs, develops, and distributes receiver systems and provides digital broadcast operations, including satellite uplinking/downlinking, transmission, and other services to third-party pay-TV providers. The SLING branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, multichannel, live-linear, and on-demand streaming over-the-top (‘OTT’) Internet-based domestic, international, Latino, and Freestream video programming services (‘SLING TV’). As of December 31, 2024, the company had various Pay-TV subscribers in the United States, including DISH TV subscribers and SLING TV subscribers.
Wireless
The company’s Wireless segment provides wireless communication services (‘Wireless’ services) and products. The company offers its Wireless services for 5G voice over new radio (‘VoNR’) to over 220 million Americans, and for 5G broadband service to over 268 million Americans, as well as a competitive portfolio of wireless devices.
The company offers nationwide Wireless services to subscribers primarily under its Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile brands.
The company is operating primarily as a mobile virtual network operator (‘MVNO’) as it continues its 5G Network Deployment and commercializes and grows customer traffic on its 5G Network. The company is transitioning to a mobile network operator (‘MNO’) as its 5G Network, defined below, has become commercially available, and it grows customer traffic on its 5G Network. The company is activating Boost Mobile subscribers with compatible devices onto its 5G Network in markets where it has reached VoNR. The company offers a broad range of premium wireless devices on its 5G Network, including the Apple iPhone 15 and newer generation iPhones. The company has deployed 5G VoNR covering over 220 million Americans. Within the company’s MVNO operations, today it depends in part on T-Mobile and AT&T to provide it with network services under the amended Master Network Services Agreement (‘MNSA’) and Network Services Agreement (the ‘NSA’), respectively. As of December 31, 2024, the company had various Wireless subscribers.
The company continues to commercialize its Wireless spectrum licenses through the completion of the nation’s first cloud-native, Open Radio Access Network (‘O-RAN’) based 5G network (the company’s ‘5G Network Deployment’). The company has committed to the FCC to deploy a facilities-based 5G broadband network (the company’s ‘5G Network’) capable of serving increasingly larger portions of the U.S. population at different deadlines.
On September 29, 2023, the FCC confirmed the company met all of its June 14, 2023, band-specific 5G deployment commitments, and two of its three nationwide 5G commitments. The single remaining 5G commitment, that at least 70% of the U.S. population has access to average download speeds equal to 35 Mbps, was achieved in March 2024 using the drive test methodology previously agreed upon by the company and the FCC, and overseen by an independent monitor.
In September 2024, the FCC conditionally granted the company’s requests to extend the 5G deployment deadlines for certain of its Wireless spectrum licenses based on several commitments, and in a January 10, 2025, filing to the FCC, the company certified to meeting the accelerated buildout (Commitments #2 and #3 of the Extension Request) and the nationwide 80% coverage obligations (Commitment #1 of the Extension Request) due by December 31, 2024. Thus, pursuant to the Extension Request, the final deployment deadlines for the licenses subject to the Extension Request (listed in Appendix G) shall be extended to December 14, 2026. In addition, the final deployment deadlines for the licenses subject to the Extension Request (listed in Appendix G) shall be further extended to June 14, 2028, as long as the company satisfies the remaining Extension Request commitments.
Broadband and Satellite Services
The company is an industry leader in both networking technologies and services, innovating to deliver the global solutions that power a connected future for people, enterprises, and things everywhere. The company provides broadband services to consumer customers, which include home and small to medium-sized businesses, and satellite, multi-transport technologies, and managed network services to enterprise customers, telecommunications providers, airlines, and government entities, including civilian and defense.
The company’s EchoStar XXIV satellite began service in December 2023, bringing additional broadband capacity across North and South America, and is an integral part of its satellite services business. The company has leveraged the EchoStar XXIV to deliver satellite services to unserved and underserved consumer markets in the Americas, as well as enterprise, aeronautical, and government markets.
The company also designs, provides, and installs gateway and terminal equipment to customers for other satellite systems. In addition, the company designs, develops, constructs, and provides telecommunication networks comprising satellite ground segment systems and terminals to mobile system operators and its enterprise customers. The company offers a robust suite of integrated, multi-transport solutions to enable airline and airline service providers to deliver reliable in-flight network connectivity serving both commercial and business aviation.
PAY-TV
Business Strategy – Pay-TV
The company’s Pay-TV segment business strategy is to be the best provider of video services in the United States by providing products with the best technology, outstanding customer service, and great value. The company promotes its Pay-TV services by providing its subscribers with a better ‘price-to-value’ relationship and experience than those available from other subscription television service providers. The company markets its SLING TV services to consumers who do not subscribe to traditional satellite and cable pay-TV services, as well as to current and recent traditional pay-TV subscribers who desire a lower-cost alternative.
Products with the Best Technology: The company offers a wide selection of local and national HD programming and is a technology leader in its industry, offering award-winning DVRs (including the company’s Hopper whole-home HD DVR), multiple tuner receivers, video on demand, and external hard drives. The company offers several SLING TV services, including SLING Orange (the company’s single-stream SLING domestic service), SLING Blue (the company’s multi-stream SLING domestic service), International, Latino, and Freestream, among others, as well as add-on extras, direct-to-consumer services, pay-per-view events, and a cloud-based DVR service.
Outstanding Customer Service: The company strives to provide outstanding customer service by, among other things, improving the quality of the initial installation of subscriber equipment, improving the reliability of its equipment, better educating its customers about its products and services, and resolving customer problems promptly and effectively when they arise.
Great Value: The company has historically been viewed as the low-cost provider in the pay-TV industry in the United States. However, with DISH TV, the company is focused on a message of Service, Value, and Technology. The company also offers a differentiated customer experience with its award-winning Hopper platform that integrates voice control, access to apps, such as Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube; and the ability to watch live, recorded, and On Demand content anywhere with the DISH Anywhere mobile application. As another example, the company’s SLING Orange service and its SLING Blue service are two of the lowest-priced live-linear online streaming services in the industry.
Products and Services – Pay-TV
DISH TV services: The company offers a wide selection of video services under the DISH TV brand, with access to hundreds of channels depending on the level of subscription. The company’s standard programming packages generally include programming provided by national cable networks. The company also offers programming packages that include local broadcast networks, specialty sports channels, premium movie channels, and Latino and international programming.
In addition, the company offers its DISH TV subscribers streaming access through DISH On Demand to thousands of movies and television shows via their TV or Internet-connected devices.
The company’s DISH TV subscribers also have the ability to use dishanywhere.com and its DISH Anywhere mobile applications on Internet-connected devices to view authorized content, search program listings, and remotely control certain features of their DVRs. Dishanywhere.com and its DISH Anywhere mobile applications provide access to thousands of movies and television shows.
SLING TV services: The company’s SLING TV services require an Internet connection and are available on multiple streaming-capable devices, including, among others, streaming media devices, TVs, tablets, computers, game consoles, and phones. The company offers domestic, International, Latino, and Freestream video programming services. The company offers domestic SLING TV services as a single-stream service branded SLING Orange and a multi-stream service branded SLING Blue, which includes, among other things, the ability to stream on up to three devices simultaneously. The company also offers add-on extras, direct-to-consumer services, pay-per-view events, and a cloud-based DVR service.
Distribution Channels – Pay-TV
The company operates in the consumer market in the United States and uses print, radio, television, and Internet media, on a local and national basis to motivate potential subscribers to contact DISH TV and SLING TV, visit its websites, or contact independent third-party retailers. The company often offers its new DISH TV subscribers certain programming at no additional charge and/or promotional pricing during a commitment period. The company often offers its new SLING TV subscribers free trials and/or streaming-capable devices at no additional charge and/or promotional pricing.
While the company offers receiver systems and programming through direct sales channels, a meaningful percentage of its gross new DISH TV subscriber activations are generated through independent third parties, such as small retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. In general, the company pays these independent third parties a mix of upfront and monthly incentives to solicit orders for its services and provide customer service. The company offers its SLING TV services through direct sales channels and third-party marketing agreements.
Wireless
Business Strategy - Wireless
The company’s Wireless segment business strategy is to expand its target segments and profitably grow its Wireless subscriber base and commercialize and grow customer traffic on its 5G Network. The company intends to grow its Wireless subscriber base by acquiring and retaining high-quality subscribers with competitive offers, choice, and outstanding customer service that better meet those subscribers’ needs and budget.
Boost Mobile postpaid: During 2023, the company launched its nationwide expansion of its Boost Mobile postpaid Wireless service. At the end of the third quarter of 2023, the company began offering premium wireless devices, including Apple products. The company offers a broad range of premium wireless devices on its 5G Network, including the Apple iPhone 15 and newer generation iPhones.
The company is operating primarily as an MVNO as it continues its 5G Network Deployment and commercializes and grows customer traffic on its 5G Network. The company is transitioning to an MNO as its 5G Network has become commercially available and it grows customer traffic on its 5G Network. The company is activating Boost Mobile subscribers with compatible devices onto its 5G Network in markets where it has reached VoNR. The company has deployed 5G VoNR covering over 220 million Americans. Within its MVNO operations, today it depends in part on T-Mobile and AT&T to provide it with network services under the MNSA and NSA, respectively.
Products and Services - Wireless
The company offers Wireless subscribers competitive consumer plans with no annual service contracts and monthly service plans, including high-speed data and unlimited talk and text. The company also offers a variety of value-added services, including, but not limited to, device payment and protection plans, and device financing arrangements for certain qualified subscribers.
Distribution Channels - Wireless
The company operates in the consumer market in the United States and uses, among other things, print, radio, television, and Internet media, on a local and national basis to motivate potential subscribers to contact it, visit its websites, or contact independent third-party retailers.
The company has both an indirect sales channel, which includes third-party-owned retail stores and big box stores, and a direct sales channel, which services customers online. Through the indirect sales channel, the company uses direct distribution partners to facilitate product delivery to the third-party retailers. The company markets and distributes its products and services indirectly through third-party-owned Boost-branded stores, multi-branded stores, national retail stores (such as Target, Best Buy, and Walmart stores), and other stores (such as convenience and grocery stores).
Competition – Wireless
The company competes with a number of national wireless carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Additional primary competitors include, but are not limited to, Metro PCS (owned by T-Mobile), Cricket Wireless (owned by AT&T), Visible (owned by Verizon), Tracfone Wireless (owned by Verizon), Total Wireless (owned by Verizon), and other MVNOs, such as Consumer Cellular, Mint Mobile (owned by T-Mobile), Spectrum Mobile, and Xfinity Mobile.
Broadband and Satellite Services
Business Strategy – Broadband and Satellite Services
The company’s Broadband and Satellite Services segment business strategy is to maintain and improve its leadership position and competitive advantage through the development of leading-edge technologies and services marketed to selected sectors within the consumer, enterprise, and government markets globally.
Products and Services – Broadband and Satellite Services
The company provides broadband satellite technologies and broadband internet products and services to consumer customers. The company provides broadband network technologies, managed services, equipment, hardware, satellite services, and communications solutions to government and enterprise customers. The company also designs, provides, and installs gateway and terminal equipment to customers for other satellite systems. In addition, the company designs, develops, constructs, and provides telecommunication networks comprising satellite ground segment systems and terminals to mobile system operators and its enterprise customers.
Customers – Broadband and Satellite Services
The company’s enterprise customers include, but are not limited to, retailers, financial institutions, aircraft connectivity providers, lottery agencies, and companies with multi-branch networks that rely on satellite or terrestrial networks for critical communication across wide geographies, as well as the U.S. government. Most of the company’s enterprise customers have long-term contracts with the company for the services they purchase. The company’s Broadband and Satellite Services segment also designs, provides, and installs gateway and terminal equipment to customers for other satellite systems and provides satellite ground segment systems and terminals for other satellite systems, including, but not limited to, mobile system operators. Developments toward the launch of next-generation satellite systems, including LEO, MEO, and geostationary systems, as well as other multi-transport technologies, could provide additional opportunities to increase demand for its equipment, hardware, technology, and services.
The company’s consumer customers consist of home and small to medium-sized businesses in the Americas. The company provides broadband satellite technologies and broadband internet products and services to these customers.
Competition – Broadband and Satellite Services
In the in-flight connectivity market, the company competes against direct and indirect providers of in-flight WiFi services, such as ViaSat and SpaceX.
The company’s primary satellite competitors in the North American consumer market are ViaSat Communications, Inc., which is owned by ViaSat, Inc. (‘ViaSat’), and Starlink Services LLC, which is owned by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (‘SpaceX’).
The company’s principal competitors for the supply of satellite technology platforms are Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd, ViaSat, and ST Engineering iDirect, Inc.
Government Regulations
The company’s operations, particularly its global satellite operations, Pay-TV operations, its Wireless and Broadband and Satellite Services businesses, and its Wireless spectrum licenses are subject to significant government regulation and oversight, primarily by the FCC, and to a certain extent, by Congress, other federal agencies, and international, foreign, state, and local authorities. The company is subject to telecommunications regulation by a number of regulatory bodies, including the FCC, other U.S. federal and state regulators and government agencies, the ITU, and regulators and governments in other countries and regions where it holds licenses, including the E.U., the U.K., India, Australia, and several Latin American countries.
The company’s Pay-TV operations are subject to FCC jurisdiction, including without limitation, the FCC’s rules for satellite licensing, placement of satellites, interference avoidance, spectrum sharing, and coordination with other satellite systems. The company must comply with FCC rules promulgating public interest requirements for DBS providers, security functionality for video providers, technology standards, media ownership, carriage of cable programming, and net neutrality. In addition, the Copyright Act of 1976 (the ‘Copyright Act’) and the Communications Act of 1934 (the ‘Communications Act’) govern its carriage of broadcast signals.
The company’s 5G Network Deployment services and its Wireless spectrum licenses are subject to regulation by the FCC, and depending on the jurisdiction, other federal, state, local, as well as international governmental authorities and regulatory agencies, including among other things, regulations governing the licensing, construction, operation, sale, and interconnection arrangements of wireless telecommunications systems.
The company holds licenses and authorizations for satellite and earth stations, as well as other services. All satellite licenses issued by the FCC are subject to expiration unless extended by the FCC. The company’s U.S. FSS licenses generally have 15-year terms. The company’s DBS licenses generally have 10-year terms. The company’s licenses are set to expire at various times.
The FCC has licensed the company to operate a total of 82 DBS frequency channels at the following orbital locations: 21 DBS frequency channels at the 119-degree orbital location, capable of providing service to the continental United States (‘CONUS’); and 29 DBS frequency channels at the 110-degree orbital location, capable of providing service to CONUS; and 32 DBS frequency channels at the 61.5-degree orbital location, capable of providing service to most of the United States – of these 32 channels, 30 are licensed to the company, and the company is authorized to use the additional two channels under a grant of Special Temporary Authority.
The FCC has also authorized the use of multichannel video distribution and data service (‘MVDDS’) licenses in the DBS band. MVDDS licenses were auctioned in 2004. MVDDS systems have been commercially deployed in a few markets. The company has MVDDS licenses in 82 out of 214 geographical license areas, including Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and several other major metropolitan areas. The FCC currently has an open proceeding considering whether to permit MVDDS licensees to become Fixed Service operators.
Both DirecTV and the company have obtained FCC authority to provide service to the United States from a Canadian DBS orbital slot. The FCC imposes certain public interest obligations on the company’s DBS licenses.
Many of the services the company provides are also subject to FCC regulation as telecommunications services. For certain services in the U.S., the company is required to contribute fees, computed as a percentage of the company’s revenue from telecommunications services to various funds, including the Universal Service Fund (‘USF’) to support mechanisms that subsidize the provision of services to low-income consumers, high-cost areas, schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. FCC rules permit the company to pass these contributions through to its customers.
The company is subject to certain regulations adopted by the International Telecommunication Union (‘ITU’). The orbital location and frequencies for certain of its satellites are subject to the frequency registration and coordination process of the ITU. Certain of the company’s satellite services also must conform to the ITU service plans for Region 2 (which includes the United States).
Certain of the company’s satellites and earth stations are licensed in foreign jurisdictions. The company also has terrestrial authorizations in foreign jurisdictions. In order to provide service to a foreign location from the company’s U.S. satellites, the company is required to obtain approvals from the FCC and foreign administrative agencies.
In the operation of the company’s business, the company must comply with all applicable export control and trade sanctions laws and regulations of the U.S. and other countries. Applicable U.S. laws and regulations include the Arms Export Control Act, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (‘ITAR’), the Export Administration Regulations (‘EAR’), and the trade sanctions laws and regulations administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (‘OFAC’).
The company is required to obtain import and export licenses from the United States government to receive and deliver certain components of direct-to-home satellite television systems. In addition, BIS regulates the company’s export of satellite communications network equipment to non-U.S. persons or to destinations outside of the U.S. The export of other items is regulated by the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls under the ITAR and is subject to strict export control and prior approval requirements (including prohibitions on the sharing of certain satellite-related goods and services with China). In addition, the company cannot provide certain equipment or services to certain countries subject to U.S. trade sanctions unless it first obtains the necessary authorizations from OFAC. The company is also subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions that generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments or giving or promising to give anything of value to foreign government officials and other individuals for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or gaining a competitive advantage.
The company is subject to the requirements of federal, state, local, and foreign environmental and occupational safety and health laws and regulations. These include laws regulating air emissions, waste-water discharge, and waste management, most significantly the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (‘EPCRA’). Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the company’s Hughes segment is considered a small quantity generator.
As required by the EPCRA, the company files annual reports with regulatory agencies covering four areas: Emergency Planning, Emergency Release, Hazardous Chemical Storage, and Toxic Chemical Release Inventory. The company maintains small quantities of hazardous materials on its premises, and therefore, has relatively modest reporting requirements under the EPCRA. The company is also subject to the requirements of other environmental and occupational safety and health laws and regulations. Additionally, the company reviews the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act Title III regulatory requirements and annually reports quantities of onsite material storage using Tier II, state DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) reporting systems.
Research and Development
The company’s research and development costs totalled $91 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
History
EchoStar Corporation was founded in 2007 as a corporation under the laws of the state of Nevada. The company was incorporated in 2007.
