AT&T has announced that its 3G mobile broadband network will support Sling Media, Inc.’s SlingPlayer Mobile™ app. Sling Media, a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), originally developed its wireless app to make efficient use of 3G network bandwidth — and to conserve the finite wireless spectrum available to the wireless industry.

Since mid December 2009, AT&T has been testing the app and has recently notified Sling Media — as well as Apple — that the optimized app can run on its 3G network. The SlingPlayer Mobile app already is available for use today on AT&T’s Wi-Fi network with more than 20,000 hotspots. AT&T will provide developers with wireless network optimization requirements for video and other applications by the end of the first quarter via its AT&T Developers Program website.