EchoStar banks on satellite

[Scott Greczkowski]

EchoStar banks on satellite
Friday launch may aid firm in delivery of advanced video
By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News
December 15, 2004



EchoStar Communications Corp. might soon begin offering advanced video and broadband Internet services using a new satellite scheduled to launch Friday morning from Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Douglas County-based company, which provides satellite TV through its Dish Network service, is leasing all the capacity on the new bird, owned by SES Americom Inc. and built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

EchoStar said it is considering several options but hasn't firmed up how it will use the satellite.

The company could offer high-definition TV stations, expand the number of markets in which it provides local channels, bolster its array of international networks or even deliver high-speed Internet connections. EchoStar also could use the new capacity to comply with recent federal regulations forcing the company to offer local channels in each market on one satellite dish rather than separate the less-popular networks onto a second dish.

"There are a lot of possibilities," said EchoStar spokesman Steve Caulk. "We're hoping to be able to use (the satellite) in the first quarter."

Read the rest at http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/business/article/0,1299,DRMN_4_3399889,00.html

 

[mike123abc]

Dish is up to something... What they have not said... Now they will have a new 105 satellite, of which 2/3 of the Ku-FSS service will be used from the current 105, all the Ka capacity in spot beams on 105, all the Ku-FSS and Ka capacity of the new 85 satellite.

They are being really coy with what they are planning... Will they really be doing satellite internet? Or will they suddenly beat DIRECTV to the punch and offer the top 30-40 markets LIL in HD? With all this new capacity they could destroy VOOM and offer a raft of HD... Maybe license VOOM's programming and sell it? Perhaps buy VOOM and use 61.5 spots to also offer LIL HD...

I think I would run screaming back to cable if they put all this capacity (really 3 and 1/3 whole satellites worth) into a DOOMED satellite internet scheme!

 

[mdonnelly]

... I think I would run screaming back to cable if they put all this capacity (really 3 and 1/3 whole satellites worth) into a DOOMED satellite internet scheme!

Ditto!

 

[rcbridge]

My money is on more International programming and locals!!
Since there still Isn't anymore compelling HD to broadcast!!!

 

[NightRyder]

I agree, the internet thing is a smoke screen. Wonder what Charlie is up to this time?



NightRyder

 

[nuts4scuba]

My money is on more International programming and locals!!
Since there still Isn't anymore compelling HD to broadcast!!!

You are probably right on the money.

 

[boba]

Definitely putting up more SUPER(sized)DISHES seeing FSS requires Primestar sized dishes and very complex switching designs so a customer can get all that programming.

 

[JohnC]

EchoStar banks on satellite
Friday launch may aid firm in delivery of advanced video
By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News
December 15, 2004

EchoStar said it is considering several options but hasn't firmed up how it will use the satellite.

The company could offer high-definition TV stations, expand the number of markets in which it provides local channels, bolster its array of international networks or even deliver high-speed Internet connections. EchoStar also could use the new capacity to comply with recent federal regulations forcing the company to offer local channels in each market on one satellite dish rather than separate the less-popular networks onto a second dish.

"There are a lot of possibilities," said EchoStar spokesman Steve Caulk. "We're hoping to be able to use (the satellite) in the first quarter."

No one, not even E*, is going to sign a long term lease on a $300+ million satellite without a definite plan. This sounds like an April Fools Day release, but it apparently is serious. E* must have Plan A if they assimilate Voom and Plan B if they do not assimilate Voom. If D* and Voom make the large HD channel additions during the next 6 months that they are projecting, I can not believe that E* will wait a year before adding a substantial number of HD channels. There are a lot of potential HD customers still evaluating the HD offerings of the various satellite and cable companies and will be ready to jump to the best provider next year and it won't be to E* if the others provide compelling HD content and E* sits still.

 

[Bulldog]

No one, not even E*, is going to sign a long term lease on a $300+ million satellite without a definite plan. This sounds like an April Fools Day release, but it apparently is serious. E* must have Plan A if they assimilate Voom and Plan B if they do not assimilate Voom. If D* and Voom make the large HD channel additions during the next 6 months that they are projecting, I can not believe that E* will wait a year before adding a substantial number of HD channels. There are a lot of potential HD customers still evaluating the HD offerings of the various satellite and cable companies and will be ready to jump to the best provider next year and it won't be to E* if the others provide compelling HD content and E* sits still.

All companies have spies and inside tracks on their compitition. It could very well be that V* and D* know what E* has under it's sleeve. Therefore, they are setting things up and getting into position for the attack from E*.

Or D* knows that E* is buying or merging with V*. And. of cause Cable is moving full steam to upgrade and bring they locals offerings in HD.

Just my two cents.

 

[bcshields]

Dish already has a broadband link service it uses for some big commercial stores. Tech called me up one day and asked me about it.. noone had a clue what it was.

Maybe they're expanding it beyond it's test bed to other commercial users.. since home users would be virtually annoyed with satellite internet.

 

[vandalous]

The satellite internet industry has a pretty specific demographic though: those who have no other broadband options due to their rural location and those who are mobile and require a perpetual internet connection. With DirecWay being my only option (I'm too rural to even get ISDN), competition is definitely welcome.

Didn't they already try this market with Starband or was that a different company?

 

[snathanb]

The satellite internet industry has a pretty specific demographic though: those who have no other broadband options due to their rural location and those who are mobile and require a perpetual internet connection. With DirecWay being my only option (I'm too rural to even get ISDN), competition is definitely welcome.

Didn't they already try this market with Starband or was that a different company?

In my rural area, everyone who had Direcway (including myself) has dumped it for fixed wireless. The latency issues involved with satellite-based internet access are a biggie for residential users.

 

[mike123abc]

In my rural area, everyone who had Direcway (including myself) has dumped it for fixed wireless. The latency issues involved with satellite-based internet access are a biggie for residential users.

Land based wireless has spread throughout this area of TX. Looking at the coverage maps, it is composed of 30 mile diameter circles running all over the area like cell towers. They could be using cell towers. I used to have wireless before cable internet came to my area. Wireless worked great, it had a drawback of having to have a high antenna on the house because I am surrounded by high trees to get line of site to the tower (actually the top of a 12 story building about 3 miles away).

The percent of homes with only satellite as the option is shrinking very fast... Look at the rural coverage between Fort Worth and Amarillo http://www.cst.net/cgi-bin/load.cgi?services/wireless.htm.

 

[chevyN8]

As a computer tech, I can't imagine E* would have big plans for Internet, unless they somehow keep the cost way down. Gone are the days of having a huge market of users that can only get broadband via a satellite dish--that are willing to pay a premium for sat. internet. I live in a down of less than 400 people and we have cable modem access. Lots of locations have wireless access as well. Then the killer is the cost, sat internet has to compete with the cheap cost of cable internet, dsl, etc... A large percentage of people may be able to live with the bigger latency sat internet has. Who knows what E* is really up to....sat internet is hard to believe.

 

[rocatman]

The FCC is now going to allow internet access on airplanes. Would it be feasible for Dish to provide this service via satellite?

 

[BobMurdoch]

Screw Internet Access. I'm sorry for anyone in rural areas, but there is always DirecWay.

E* NEEDS HD or they will see churn go through the roof starting in 2006. And I'll be one of them.

HD! HD! HD!

 

[cdprayor]

I agree.If they don't add anymore HD really soon I am bailing.I am with SBC and they are getting their own digital service soon.I will see what they have to offer when they are up and running and check my options.But I do need MORE HD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NightRyder]

Screw Internet Access. I'm sorry for anyone in rural areas, but there is always DirecWay.

E* NEEDS HD or they will see churn go through the roof starting in 2006. And I'll be one of them.

HD! HD! HD!

The future for high speed Internet in rural areas is wireless. Even in my little neck of the woods high speed wireless access will be available by the end of Summer 2005.


NightRyder

 

[mike123abc]

Like I said in the above post... I think satellite internet is a smoke screen and Dish is quietly working on beating DIRECTV to LIL HD. I see the capacity in the next few months (the new spot for 110 is going up in a few months) for some serious LIL HD from Dish. DIRECTV is poised to start LIL HD sometime late summer/fall 2005. DIRECTV has an agressive schedule to have the capacity for all markets HD, Dish will have to compete, and their apparent strategy is to line up as much capacity as they can find. Right now they have AMC-15, AMC-16, Echostar10 lined up to launch. 15/16 are really like 2 satellites each since Echostar leased both the Ku-FSS and the Ka spot capacity from each of them. They also have leased another slot from SES for Ku-FSS/Ka (maybe AMC-17 at 83?), satellite has not been announced yet. Plus they have authorization now to build for 157/166 DBS, 3 Ku-AUX, and 3 Ka slots that is 8 more satellites, plus they have a deal with SES if 105 becomes available for DBS, plus they are applying for 3 more DBS slots if they were to open up. That could be 13 more satellites in addition to the 1 (AMC-15) they have launched and 2 they are just about to launch (AMC-16 and E10).

It would be pretty staggering to have 15 more satellites to point to (AMC-15 going to an existing slot). I think the days of legacy receivers are very limited. I cannot see them having the memory for 23 possible satellites to look at (6 DBS (existing authorizations) + 4 Ku-FSS + 3 Ku-Aux + 6 Ka + up to 4 more DBS), probably some of the DP receivers will not work either. They probably figure they are going to have to replace every box anyways to work with this many satellites and possible channels in the system, may as well do MPEG-4 while they are at it.

 

[luckycat]

Seems to me they'll be using this, as others have mentioned, for HD. Charlie same something about Internet Satellite service on the chat the other day, something like "We tried it, can't make any money doing it." or something. If they don't get more HD, at least a few channels, they will be in serious trouble...esp. when/if VOOM comes out with a DVR at a "reasonable cost".