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EchoStar Corporation: EchoStar's ViP-TV to Deliver Video Transport Service to Virginia-Based IPTV Provider

^{Published on 2009-07-27 07:10:40, Last Modified on 2009-07-27 07:10:48 - Market Wire}
 

ENGLEWOOD, CO--(Marketwire - July 27, 2009) - EchoStar Satellite Services, a division of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: [ SATS ]), announced today an agreement to deliver its ViP-TV™ video transport service to Citizens Cablevision Inc., a full service provider of digital television programming in Virginia and a wholly owned subsidiary of Citizens Telephone Cooperative. Citizens will receive transport of up to 42 popular high definition TV channels to its IP headend.

Citizens provides broadband data, video and voice services to residents and businesses in Southwest Virginia. Citizens Cablevision sought a platform that would enable it to offer competitive video services using its existing IP network.

"We wanted access to IP-encapsulated, high quality HD channels that would let us expand our range of services easily without complex integration needs," said Danny Vaughn, Network Manager at Citizens. "EchoStar's ViP-TV transport service meets our IP requirements and offers unsurpassed video quality and at competitive pricing."

EchoStar's ViP-TV transport service offers a secure, MPEG-4 encoded IP stream of approximately 275 popular, broadcast-quality TV and music channels from a satellite located at 85 degrees W.L. ViP-TV can also provide satellite-delivered local TV channel aggregation in a telco's designated market area in both high definition and standard definition (where available).

"EchoStar has the experience and skill set to establish an efficient video transport system for IPTV co-ops like Citizens," said Steve Skalski, vice president in charge of EchoStar's ViP-TV division. "Our ViP-TV service can deliver affordable and aggregated MPEG-4 IP-encapsulated audio and video channels from our high-powered satellite."

For more information on ViP-TV, visit [ www.echostarviptv.com ], contact 303-706-4040 or email [ viptv@echostar.com ].

About EchoStar Satellite Services

EchoStar Satellite Services is a business unit of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: [ SATS ]) and provides a reliable network available for backhaul, aggregation and distribution of video, audio and data domestically and internationally. EchoStar also offers the ViP-TV platform providing IPTV solutions. EchoStar represents a significant source of Ku-band and Ka-band satellite capacity and spacecraft operation services with access to eight satellites, ground-based teleport facilities, and an expansive terrestrial U.S. backhaul network along with 24-hour Satellite Access Centers. For more information or for occasional or full time satellite bandwidth, contact 866-359-8804 or email [ efss@echostar.com ].

About Citizens Cablevision

Citizens is a local communications and entertainment company based in Floyd, Va., offering broadband data, video and voice services to consumers. For more information about Citizens Cablevision, call (540) 745-2111 or visit [ www.citizens.coop ] online.