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SBC, EchoStar Announce Strategic Marketing Alliance

San Antonio & Littleton, Colo./April 17, 2002/Satnews Daily/ -- SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE:SBC) and EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ:DISH) today forged a strategic marketing alliance that will combine EchoStar's DISH Network digital satellite television offerings with SBC's broadband DSL Internet access service to provide consumers with a convenient and competitively priced alternative to cable.

The agreement calls for both companies to offer bundled service packages via internal sales efforts and affiliated retailers. Consumers who take advantage of the service bundles will receive credits of up to $10 on monthly service charges for a package of SBC DSL Internet and DISH Network satellite television services.

Both companies also said they are discussing research and development of next-generation products and services that combine the capabilities of broadband Internet and satellite television to deliver video on demand and other advanced services.

SBC will begin offering DISH Network satellite TV services beginning in May; full discounted bundles will be available beginning later in the year in SBC Southwestern Bell, SBC Pacific Bell, SBC Nevada Bell, SBC Ameritech and SBC SNET regions. EchoStar and SBC customers will have the ability to purchase DISH Network services bundled with SBC DSL Internet service or the SBC Yahoo! Dial product. Later this year, consumers who take advantage of the SBC/EchoStar bundles will receive the additional value of the new co-branded SBC Yahoo! DSL service.

The strategic alliance addresses a well-established consumer preference for bundled communications services. Through this alliance, SBC will be one of the few carriers poised to offer full-service communications packages, including high-speed DSL Internet access, DISH Network TV programming, local phone service, long-distance phone service in the states where it has regulatory relief, and soon, wireless phone services.

Backed by both companies' advanced technology and dedication to quality and service, the bundled offerings with SBC and EchoStar services will provide consumers with an attractive alternative to comparable cable service packages.

SBC is the nation's leading provider of DSL Internet service. DSL technology runs over traditional copper lines and provides users with a high-speed connection from their home or business to the phone company's central office or DSL gateway, with speeds up to 100 times faster than a 56 Kbps analog modem.

SBC has made its DSL Internet service available to more than 25 million homes and business locations, which represents more than 60 percent of SBC customers.

SBC DSL Internet service customers later this year will receive the additional value of SBC Yahoo! DSL, which will add the strengths of Yahoo!, the No. 1 global Internet destination, to the SBC DSL Internet service experience. SBC Yahoo! DSL customers will experience a customized portal and browser, rich multimedia content, and premium services such as multiplayer games, enhanced parental controls, and additional storage space in SBC Yahoo! Mail and SBC Yahoo! Photos.

"With our broadband DSL Internet access network and alliance with Yahoo!, SBC has assembled the infrastructure, content and premium services to deliver a superior broadband Internet experience for our residential and business customers," said Lea Ann Champion, chief marketing officer, SBC Communications. "Our alliance with EchoStar allows us to marry our industry-leading broadband DSL Internet services with the nation's top digital satellite television offerings to deliver a total package for customers looking for the best available combination of convenience, value and quality."

With seven satellites in orbit today, EchoStar's satellite fleet has the capacity to offer more than 500 television channels to its more than 7 million DISH Network satellite TV customers. DISH Network offers digital video and CD-quality audio programming, including Dolby Digital sound and interactive television to consumers across the United States, as well as offering fully MPEG-2/DVB compliant hardware and installation.

"Our DISH Network satellite TV system is the fastest-growing television service in the nation, and our alliance with SBC opens new opportunities to expand that record growth," said Mark Jackson, senior vice president, EchoStar. "The combined reach of both companies' sales forces and retail affiliations will expand the availability of the bundled services and make it easier than ever for consumers to take advantage of the best of high-speed Internet and digital television."

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