SBC Extends Dish Deal

SBC Communications Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. will continue marketing co-branded direct-broadcast satellite service under terms of an extension announced Tuesday.

The regional Bell operating company and the DBS provider said they will operate the service “along a more traditional sales-agency approach that provides strong motivation to drive subscriber growth.”

The two companies added that new and existing SBC/Dish Network customers will continue to have a single point of contact and single monthly SBC bill, and they will still qualify for bundled discounts. In addition, SBC representatives will continue to process orders and schedule service installation, and customer care will be handled as it is currently.

“The new structure strengthens our strategic alliance, delivering benefits for both EchoStar and SBC," SBC senior vice president, SBC/Dish Network George Contopoulos said in a prepared statement. "We're now better-positioned to provide SBC/Dish Network to our customers, delivering a complete bundle when combined with SBC voice and data services.”