EchoStar Targets Cable Industry with CableLabs-Certified SlingModem

--Sling Media to Offer Client for Apple's New iPhone 3G

At the NCTA Cable Show last month, EchoStar Technologies, a
subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, announced that it is targeting the
cable industry with a CableLabs-certified DOCSIS 2.0 product dubbed
the SlingModem. EchoStar Corp. was spun off earlier this year from
satellite-TV company, DISH Network (formerly called EchoStar), and
retains the latter's hardware business and certain of its infrastructure
assets. The new modem was developed by TV "place-shifting"
company, Sling Media, which was acquired by EchoStar last fall. "The
introduction of the SlingModem demonstrates our operator-agnostic
philosophy, as well as our dedication to the cable industry," Sling
Media CEO, Blake Krikorian, said in a prepared statement. Added
EchoStar Technologies president, Mark Jackson: "We are firmly
committed to becoming the vendor of choice in the cable industry,
leveraging decades of systems and manufacturing excellence. We are
excited to announce our first cable-ready product at the annual Cable
Show, where we can meet face-to-face with industry veterans looking
for innovative solutions that will reduce churn and increase average
revenue per user."

According to EchoStar, the SlingModem combines a DOCSIS
2.0-certified cable modem with the TV place-shifting functionality of
Sling Media's flagship Slingbox device: by connecting a SlingModem
directly to a coax cable input or a set-top box, the company says,
end-users can receive live or recorded television on any
Internet-connected device. The device can be installed through a single
coaxial cable, thus eliminating the need for additional home networking
connections. EchoStar says that it is currently working on a variety of
other products and services for cable operators that will be introduced
later this year.

In related news: Sling Media has revealed plans to offer client software
for Apple's new 3G iPhone and for the iPod Touch. The software will
be offered for sale through Apple's iPhone App Store for around $40.