DISH Network Corporation and Alcatel-Lucent to Perform Joint DVB-SH Test in the U.S.

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
Alcatel-Lucent logo

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and PARIS — DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) and Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that DISH Network will test the DVB-SH (Digital Video Broadcasting – Satellite services to Handhelds) mobile broadcast technology in the United States, with the appropriate DVB-SH equipment, test tools and training provided by Alcatel-Lucent. This evaluation will take place in DISH Network’s laboratories in Atlanta, Ga. from May to August 2008, with the ultimate objective to validate the performance and cost-efficiency of the DVB-SH standard.

DVB-SH is an evolution of DVB-H and a powerful mobile broadcast standard allowing cost-effective mobile TV deployments. It can be used in any frequency spectrum below 3GHz, including UHF, L band and S band, and in terrestrial, satellite or hybrid networks. The DVB-SH waveform definition was published by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in March 2008.

“As is our history, DISH Network continues to explore new, cutting-edge technology for consumer applications,” said Nolan Daines, senior vice president of Strategic Initiatives for DISH Network. “Considering the global momentum of DVB-SH, we decided that performing a critical analysis of this new open standard was the right thing to do for DISH Network. We look forward to working in tandem with Alcatel-Lucent during this testing phase.”

“DVB-SH is today the most powerful mobile broadcast open standard leveraging the DVB-H ecosystem and enabling an efficient delivery of TV services to all mobile devices ranging from handsets to Personal Multimedia Players and in-car units,” added Olivier Coste, Chairman of Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile broadcast activities. “This is why Alcatel-Lucent is committed to the success of DISH Network’s DVB-SH tests in the U.S., and, more than ever, to the expansion of the DVB-SH ecosystem worldwide.”