NAB: Echostar's IPTV pitch

LAS VEGAS - Can a satellite company help phone companies implement IPTV? EchoStar says that yes, it can. An EchoStar spokesperson said the company is currently conducting "a number" of proof-of-concept trials with various Ethernet-enabled setups ranging from cable to fiber.  

The $2 billion, 18-month-old spin-off from Dish Network has been making the rounds of telco and cable shows to present its case as an IPTV supplier, giving service providers an end-to-end product offering that includes transporting content into a distribution head-end, converting satellite broadcast into IP, and providing a two-way IP set-top box in the home. EchoStar is working with Cisco on the multicast aspects of distributing IPTV across DSL and fiber.

EchoStar is aiming its offering at the Tier 2/larger regional telco players and the Tier 3 local companies that don't want to have to "develop divisions and departments for a UA, they want something tried and true, something to deploy," said national account manager Jeff Hale. "They are waiting for a company to bring a tested, proven solution for their metros. With our cost points, I think we can get into the Tier 3s deeper than anyone else in the telco space."

Hale said many cable operators who are disenchanted with the Tru2way standard might just throw up their hands and repurpose their infrastructure for IPTV; opportunities also exist for EchoStar's IPTV offering in REITs, MDUs, the hospitality market and any other typically Ethernet-enabled space.

EchoStar feels its set-top boxes provide an advantage over other players, as it has had CPE for use in the Dish Network consumer satellite service for years. New Dish Network set top boxes evolve into IP-capable devices, building upon the existing features and hardware provided for Dish service. 

Two EchoStar IPTV set-top boxes have shipped, and a third is in the pipeline. There's an entry-level 211 box that is HD-capable with a single TV tuner and a USB port stuck on the back. A user can plug in an off-the-shelf disk drive, reboot the box, and it automatically boots up with DVR capability - saving cash-strapped service providers a couple of dollars on capex, while providing easy-to-use value-added features for carriers to offer customers.

For households with multiple TVs, the 722 includes an onboard hard drive for DVR, and a pair of TV tuners to support two TV sets over existing coax cable. On the high-end, the forthcoming 922 includes EchoStar's SlingBox functionality built in for "anytime, anywhere" viewing of TV content over the Internet, plus a built-in web browser and web applications. The 922 is expected to appear in an IPTV version later this year.

Down the road, EchoStar should be able to offer a VOD product. The company already has access to a large VOD library through the Dish Network, so the product could be repurposed for the IPTV market to give service providers another way to make upside revenue.

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