Charlie has a 10-year plan for Dish

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CK SatGuy

Formerly ckhalil18
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Feb 7, 2011
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The Motor City
From CBS News/AP:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Charlie Ergen, the billionaire who controls Dish Network Corp., has a 10-year plan to transform the satellite TV provider into a one-stop shop for Internet access, video and voice services at home and on the go.

Ergen said that no major telecommunications company has figured out how to combine all those things in one package in the United States. Cable TV operators provide data, video and voice services in the home, but don't mimic that offering on mobile devices.

Cellphone carriers are great at mobile data and voice, but have made only small inroads providing video signals to homes.

Ergen, 59, told the Milken Institute Global Conference on Tuesday his company is trying to provide all three major services to homes and on mobile devices within 10 years.

"When we go install video in your home we can say, 'No matter where you are, you can take that video with you,'" Ergen said. "You can also get your broadband and make your voice calls."

"It doesn't have to be that you drop three calls in New York City and it doesn't have to be that you get your bill and you don't understand it," he said. "We can change that."

Dish has gradually been compiling the assets that it needs to make such an all-encompassing service possible.

On the video end, it already has deals with large TV networks through Dish and bought struggling video rental chain Blockbuster out of bankruptcy in April 2011 to bolster its ties to movie studios.

In March, Dish, based in Englewood, Colo., completed its purchase of two satellite operators, DBSD North America Inc. and TerreStar Networks Inc., whose wireless licenses it hopes to use to offer broadband Internet access. Both offer satellite-based wireless services and have authority to operate ground-based services as a backup.

Ergen lays out Dish Network's 10-year plan - CBS News
 
TheKrell said:
Why is Charlie casting aspersions on his mobile competition? Do his spectrum holdings work better in NYC?
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The spectrum isn't the problem, its the demand. Limit access to the network and it'll be just fine. AT&T is over demanded in some areas.
 
Verizon and AT&T are in a great position to provide "video everywhere" buy they aren't about to give it away. Likewise, Comcast and other Cable MSOs are getting into mobility services. I've had a Sling Box and have used it on my mobile phone for years. Call me old fashion (or a human being with limited time to watch television), but the idea of watching content on my mobile phone (more than a few minutes) doesn't interest in me in the least...I want to sit down in front of a 65" screen. :)
 
I think he can crack the market if he offers to sell data plans that are non expiring. IOW, you buy 10 GB and use it over a day, week, month, year, whatever. It doesn't "go away" at the end of the month. Just buy it and when you need more, buy more. That will appeal to a LOT of people and let him get his foot in the door. He'll have to have something, some schtick, to get people to consider shifting their cell provider to the new kid on the block.
 
I'm not seeing this end well for Dish. People who want the best coverage and service irregardless of price and contracts go to Verizon. People who have poor credit, are contract adverse, or want/need a bargain option go for Virgin Mobile, Boost Mobile, Cricket, and the like. In between, ATT and Sprint. What's Dish's angle?

I mean, if they could undercut everyone else is a big way price wise and offer no-contract no-credit check service, while offering a stronger network than the carriers like Virgin Mobile, they might be in play. But can they make a profit off of say a $50 Android phone and $35/unlimited everything service with more reliability than Virgin Mobiles of the world? Because I think that's what they're talking to really crack the market in a significant way. They can't even just hope to compete with providers like Virgin on their own terms, because Dish is building out it's own network it hopes to maintain (Most smaller carriers rent use of towers from the big boys), and thus is going to need more market share.

I don't think people are thrilled enough about Dish as a television provider that they are going to drop their current phone arrangement say "Wow, a Dish branded cell phone! Sign me up!" en mass. Okay, maybe a few people on this forum are and would. ;) But I think the average Dish network customer is kind of meh on the company. Sort of like the average cable customer, not a knock on Dish specifically. It's just that no one really likes their television provider these days.
 
riffjim4069 said:
Verizon and AT&T are in a great position to provide "video everywhere" buy they aren't about to give it away. Likewise, Comcast and other Cable MSOs are getting into mobility services. I've had a Sling Box and have used it on my mobile phone for years. Call me old fashion (or a human being with limited time to watch television), but the idea of watching content on my mobile phone (more than a few minutes) doesn't interest in me in the least...I want to sit down in front of a 65" screen. :)
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Problem is data limits on plans and big fees if you go over. I get 4gb for 30 if i wanted to watch tv id have to pay close to 100 bucks just for data on verizon
 
I guess he does not have time to read the business press. Verizon/Comcast inked a deal and are already in business cross marketing their services doing exactly what he is talking about. Next, will be brand consolidation.
 
TheKrell said:
Why is Charlie casting aspersions on his mobile competition? Do his spectrum holdings work better in NYC?
Click to expand...

Actually If everything is approved Dish will have about 1/2 the spectrum that AT&T has. But, Dish will just be building the latest LTE network. AT&T is still stuck with 3 networks, GSM, 3G and LTE, so Dish will actually have more capacity until AT&T reallocates their spectrum.
 
Soon. 10 years. Could get delayed. I think someone else will beat him to the punch if he waits that long. Technology may evolve where people's routers inside their homes become nodes to access.
 
But Dish can come to the table of any wireless provider with his own spectrum. That means the wireless spectrum now in use and in high demand would suffer no ill effects and isn't necessarily needed for Dish's TV Everywhere (the fist step) service. And since it is Charlie's spectrum, he is in a better position to craft terms in such as way as the best possible experience for his customers including and even generous or even the T-Mobile no caps.

Any wireless provider who enters into an agreement with Dish, would benefit or gain customers as Dish customers who want TV Everywhere would chose that wireless service provider because it offers Dish's services. Dish has made it clear that, at least for now, they need to partner with a wireless provider, so they aren't ready to be a wireless provide just yet.

It would take time to either integrate the network or have a process to switch to it, and to produce the hardware, but it could be done in a pretty quick fashion.
 
dan188 said:
Problem is data limits on plans and big fees if you go over. I get 4gb for 30 if i wanted to watch tv id have to pay close to 100 bucks just for data on verizon
Click to expand...

I pay $30 for 2gb on Verizon, because I have iphone. 4gb is for the Androids on the LTE Network. However, I use wifi at home, work and where ever I go when possible and have barely gone over 1gb in a month. That includes using many streaming video apps. The right device using wifi first and cell data second; makes it affordable and possible to get TV everywhere.
 
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