EchoStar is planning to expand Dish Network’s broadcast market presence in North America following a capacity deal with SES and the launch of the EchoStar 14 satellite, the companies announced.
    SES announced March 19 that it leased satellite capacity to EchoStar after the Mexican government granted SES subsidiary Sistemas Satelitales de México (SSM) approval to offer fixed Ku-band satellite capacity into Mexico via the AMC-15 and AMC-16 satellites.
    EchoStar said it would use the capacity to offer full-time and occasional use space segment to authorized entities in Mexico through SSM while supporting broadcast services for the Dish Mexico direct-to-home service in Mexico and for the Dish Network direct-to-home service in the United States.
    EchoStar also will use capacity on QuetzSat‘s QuetzSat-1 satellite, scheduled to be placed at 77 degrees West in 2011, to provide additional coverage for these services. “This initiative brings together the strengths of SES and EchoStar in extending the reach and capability of AMC-15 and AMC-16 to accommodate new growth markets, as well as the experience of SSM in the Mexican market,” SES World Skies CEO Rob Bednarek said in a statement.
    The capacity deal followed the launch of the EchoStar 14 satellite by International Launch Services (ILS) from the Baikonour Cosmodrome to support Dish Network Ku-band broadcasting in the United States.
    Built by Space Systems/Loral, EchoStar 14 will join Dish Network’s fleet of satellites at 119 degrees West. Dish Network said the satellite would allow the company to continue expanding its HD offering in the United States, where it broadcasts more than 160 HD channels as well as HD locals in 152 markets.
    “The successful launch of EchoStar 14 was a significant milestone for ILS Proton as the first commercial launch using the enhanced Phase 3 performance capabilities,” ILS President Frank McKenna said in a statement.