EchoStar
ECHOEchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) is an American satellite technology and services company operating Hughes Network Systems — the world's largest satellite broadband provider with over 1 million residential and business subscribers in North America.
- Founded
- 1980
- Headquarters
- Englewood, United States
- Stage
- Public
- Ownership
- Listed
- Market cap
- $27.1B+0.7% 30d
- Employees
- 12,100as of 2025
Quick Facts
About EchoStar
EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) is an American satellite technology and services company operating Hughes Network Systems — the world's largest satellite broadband provider with over 1 million residential and business subscribers in North America. Founded in 1980 by Charlie Ergen, EchoStar provides satellite internet services under the HughesNet brand via its EchoStar XVII and EchoStar XIX Ka-band satellites. EchoStar and Dish Network (also founded by Ergen) were sister companies that merged in January 2024, reuniting the satellite television and internet operations under the EchoStar corporate umbrella.
In 2025 EchoStar agreed to sell spectrum licences to AT&T (about $23 billion) and SpaceX (about $17 billion plus a $2.6 billion AWS-3 add-on), and in August 2026 its Hughes subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 while the parent company continued outside bankruptcy. Hughes Network Systems' ground technology is also licensed internationally for broadband satellite networks.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hughes Network Systems / HughesNet | Satellite broadband | North America's largest satellite broadband provider by subscribers; its U.S. entities — Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and Hughes Network Systems, LLC — filed for Chapter 11 protection in Houston on August 3, 2026, to restructure debt while refocusing on enterprise, government, and defense business; EchoStar's parent company and Hughes's international units are unaffected. |
| EchoStar Mobile | Pan-European S-band mobile satellite service | Operates a pan-European S-band mobile satellite network, including a LoRa-based IoT service and 3GPP non-terrestrial network integration, delivered with Hughes and partners including Actility, Galaxy 1, and Gilat Telecom. |
| Boost Mobile | Wireless carrier | Moving from operating its own spectrum-based wireless network to a hybrid mobile network operator model riding on AT&T's cell sites (with a planned SpaceX Starlink Direct-to-Cell arrangement) after EchoStar's 2025 spectrum sales. |
| 3.45 GHz / 600 MHz spectrum sale to AT&T | Wireless spectrum divestiture | Sold to AT&T for $20.25 billion in cash plus a $2.4 billion deposit into an FCC trust; the sale closed July 28, 2026. |
| AWS-4 / H-block / AWS-3 spectrum sale to SpaceX | Wireless spectrum divestiture | Sold to SpaceX for up to $17 billion (announced September 2025), later amended to add EchoStar's unpaired AWS-3 licenses for about $2.6 billion in SpaceX stock (November 2025), to support a next-generation Starlink Direct to Cell constellation. |
Timeline
- 2025 EchoStar agrees to sell its 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses to AT&T for about $23 billion and to shift Boost Mobile to a hybrid network-operator arrangement on AT&T's cell sites. [source]
- 2025 EchoStar agrees to sell its AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses to SpaceX for up to $17 billion in cash and stock, to support a next-generation Starlink Direct to Cell constellation. [source]
- 2025 EchoStar amends its SpaceX agreement to add its unpaired AWS-3 spectrum licenses for about $2.6 billion in SpaceX stock. [source]
- 2026 Chief Legal Officer Dean Manson departs after 26 years with the company; Jeffrey Blum is named Acting Chief Legal Officer while a permanent search is conducted. [source]
- 2026 The AT&T spectrum sale closes for $20.25 billion in cash plus a $2.4 billion FCC trust deposit; the same day, Dish DBS repays the $2 billion principal on its 7.75% Senior Notes due July 2026. [source]
- 2026 Hughes Satellite Systems Corporation and Hughes Network Systems, LLC file for Chapter 11 protection in the Southern District of Texas to restructure debt and refocus on enterprise, government, and defense operations; EchoStar's parent company is not part of the filing. [source]
Team
- Charlie ErgenFounder · source
Signals
- Market cap, 90 days
- -18.4%
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-11
Categories & Capabilities
Industry Categories
Stock Performance
ECHO · Daily close data
Funding
Links
Location
Loading map...
Share
Suggest an Edit
Is this information outdated or incorrect? Help us improve this profile.
Submit CorrectionExplore More
Discover 1,000+ space companies worldwide
Similar Companies
Other companies in satellite-operators
Viasat
Viasat is a global communications company pioneering secure, reliable satellite connectivity for consumers, businesses, ...
Amazon Leo
Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) is Amazon's ambitious satellite internet constellation targeting 3,236 low Earth or...
Astranis
Astranis Space Technologies designs and manufactures small geostationary telecommunications satellites. The company's Mi...
Telesat
Telesat is one of the world's largest and most innovative global satellite operators, working collaboratively with custo...
Optus
Optus, founded in 1981 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, is a telecommunications company with a significant presen...
Avanti Communications
Avanti Communications, founded in 2002 and based in London, United Kingdom, is a satellite communications provider speci...
Also in United States
Other space companies based in United States
Related Articles
Industry analysis mentioning EchoStar
Frequently asked about EchoStar
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was EchoStar founded?
- EchoStar was founded in 1980 in United States.
- Where is EchoStar headquartered?
- EchoStar is headquartered in Englewood, United States.
- What does EchoStar do?
- EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) is an American satellite technology and services company operating Hughes Network Systems — the world's largest satellite broadband provider with over 1 million residential and business subscribers in North America. Founded in 1980 by Charlie Ergen, EchoStar provides satellite intern…
- Is EchoStar publicly traded?
- Yes. EchoStar trades under the ticker ECHO on NasdaqGS.
- What sector does EchoStar operate in?
- EchoStar works in satellite operators, Satellite communications and Broadcasting, plus 1 other space-industry sectors.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (echostar.com)
- Market data via Yahoo Finance (ECHO) · retrieved 2026-09-14
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-04
- SEC 8-K exhibit: EchoStar-AT&T spectrum sale agreement (Aug 26, 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 8-K exhibit: EchoStar-SpaceX spectrum sale agreement (Sep 8, 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 8-K exhibit: EchoStar-SpaceX AWS-3 amendment (Nov 6, 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 8-K: EchoStar Chief Legal Officer transition (June 25, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 8-K: AT&T spectrum sale closing and Dish DBS debt repayment (July 28, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 8-K exhibit: Hughes Satellite Systems / Hughes Network Systems Chapter 11 filing (Aug 3, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- SEC 10-K: EchoStar FY2025 annual report (employees, controlling-stockholder risk factor) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- EchoStar Mobile: company overview · retrieved 2026-09-10
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about EchoStar is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.