ECHOSTAR SELECTS MDA SPACE FOR WORLD'S FIRST OPEN RAN BROADBAND NTN LEO CONSTELLATION
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) has selected MDA Space as the prime contractor for its groundbreaking $5 billion LEO satellite constellation project. The initial contract, valued at $1.3 billion, includes the design and manufacturing of over 100 software-defined MDA AURORA鈩� D2D satellites, with plans to expand to 200 satellites initially and potentially thousands in the future.
The constellation will provide global talk, text, and broadband services directly to standard 5G NTN devices, covering all 350 million Americans and over 7 billion people globally. EchoStar has invested over $18 billion in NTN satellite connectivity since 2012, including significant spectrum acquisitions in the 2GHz band across multiple countries.
Commercial service is scheduled to begin in 2029, with satellite delivery planned for 2028. The system will utilize up to 25x20 MHz of AWS-4/S-band 2GHz frequencies and will be fully compliant with 3GPP NTN standards.
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) ha scelto MDA Space come appaltatore principale per il suo innovativo progetto di costellazione satellitare LEO da 5 miliardi di dollari. Il contratto iniziale, del valore di 1,3 miliardi di dollari, comprende la progettazione e la produzione di oltre 100 satelliti software-defined MDA AURORA鈩� D2D, con piani di espansione fino a 200 satelliti inizialmente e potenzialmente migliaia in futuro.
La costellazione offrir脿 servizi globali di chiamata, messaggistica e banda larga direttamente a dispositivi standard 5G NTN, coprendo tutti i 350 milioni di americani e oltre 7 miliardi di persone nel mondo. EchoStar ha investito oltre 18 miliardi di dollari nella connettivit脿 satellitare NTN dal 2012, inclusi importanti acquisti di spettro nella banda 2 GHz in diversi paesi.
Il servizio commerciale 猫 previsto per il 2029, con la consegna dei satelliti programmata per il 2028. Il sistema utilizzer脿 fino a 25x20 MHz di frequenze AWS-4/S-band a 2 GHz e sar脿 pienamente conforme agli standard NTN 3GPP.
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) ha seleccionado a MDA Space como contratista principal para su innovador proyecto de constelaci贸n de sat茅lites LEO de 5 mil millones de d贸lares. El contrato inicial, valorado en 1.3 mil millones de d贸lares, incluye el dise帽o y fabricaci贸n de m谩s de 100 sat茅lites definidos por software MDA AURORA鈩� D2D, con planes de expandirse inicialmente a 200 sat茅lites y potencialmente a miles en el futuro.
La constelaci贸n proporcionar谩 servicios globales de llamadas, mensajes y banda ancha directamente a dispositivos est谩ndar 5G NTN, cubriendo a los 350 millones de estadounidenses y a m谩s de 7 mil millones de personas en todo el mundo. EchoStar ha invertido m谩s de 18 mil millones de d贸lares en conectividad satelital NTN desde 2012, incluyendo adquisiciones significativas de espectro en la banda de 2 GHz en varios pa铆ses.
El servicio comercial est谩 programado para comenzar en 2029, con la entrega de sat茅lites prevista para 2028. El sistema utilizar谩 hasta 25x20 MHz de frecuencias AWS-4/banda S de 2 GHz y cumplir谩 completamente con los est谩ndares NTN de 3GPP.
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鞚� 氤勳瀽毽姅 鞝� 靹戈硠 3鞏� 5觳滊 氙戈淡鞚戈臣 70鞏� 鞚挫儊鞚� 鞚戈惮毳� 雽�靸侅溂搿� 響滌 5G NTN 旮瓣赴鞐� 歆侅爲 鞚岇劚, 氍胳瀽 氚� 甏戨寑鞐� 靹滊箘鞀るゼ 鞝滉车頃╇媹雼�. EchoStar電� 2012雲� 鞚错泟 NTN 鞙勳劚 鞐瓣舶鞐� 180鞏� 雼煬 鞚挫儊鞚� 韴瀽頄堨溂氅�, 鞐煬 甑皜鞐愳劀 2GHz 雽�鞐� 鞀ろ帣韸鸽熂鞚� 雽�攴滊搿� 頇曤炒頄堨姷雼堧嫟.
靸侅梾 靹滊箘鞀る姅 2029云� 臧滌嫓 鞓堨爼鞚措┌, 鞙勳劚 雮╉拡鞚� 2028雲勳溂搿� 瓿勴殟霅橃柎 鞛堨姷雼堧嫟. 鞁滌姢韰滌潃 斓滊寑 25x20 MHz鞚� AWS-4/S-氚措摐 2GHz 欤柬寣靾橂ゼ 靷毄頃橂┌, 3GPP NTN 響滌鞚� 鞕勲步頌� 欷�靾橅暕雼堧嫟.
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) a choisi MDA Space comme entrepreneur principal pour son projet r茅volutionnaire de constellation de satellites LEO d'une valeur de 5 milliards de dollars. Le contrat initial, d'une valeur de 1,3 milliard de dollars, comprend la conception et la fabrication de plus de 100 satellites MDA AURORA鈩� D2D d茅finis par logiciel, avec des plans d'expansion 脿 200 satellites dans un premier temps, et potentiellement des milliers 脿 l'avenir.
La constellation fournira des services mondiaux de voix, de texte et de haut d茅bit directement aux appareils 5G NTN standards, couvrant les 350 millions d'Am茅ricains et plus de 7 milliards de personnes dans le monde. EchoStar a investi plus de 18 milliards de dollars dans la connectivit茅 satellite NTN depuis 2012, incluant d'importantes acquisitions de spectre dans la bande 2 GHz dans plusieurs pays.
Le service commercial est pr茅vu pour 2029, avec une livraison des satellites planifi茅e pour 2028. Le syst猫me utilisera jusqu'脿 25x20 MHz de fr茅quences AWS-4/bande S 脿 2 GHz et sera enti猫rement conforme aux normes NTN 3GPP.
EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) hat MDA Space als Hauptauftragnehmer f眉r sein bahnbrechendes 5-Milliarden-Dollar-LEO-Satellitenkonstellationsprojekt ausgew盲hlt. Der Anfangsvertrag im Wert von 1,3 Milliarden Dollar umfasst das Design und die Herstellung von 眉ber 100 softwaredefinierten MDA AURORA鈩� D2D-Satelliten, mit Pl盲nen, zun盲chst auf 200 Satelliten zu erweitern und in Zukunft m枚glicherweise Tausende.
Die Konstellation wird weltweit Sprach-, Text- und Breitbanddienste direkt an Standard-5G-NTN-Ger盲te liefern und dabei alle 350 Millionen Amerikaner sowie 眉ber 7 Milliarden Menschen weltweit abdecken. EchoStar hat seit 2012 眉ber 18 Milliarden Dollar in NTN-Satellitenkonnektivit盲t investiert, einschlie脽lich bedeutender Spektrumserwerbe im 2-GHz-Band in mehreren L盲ndern.
Der kommerzielle Dienst soll 2029 starten, die Satellitenlieferung ist f眉r 2028 geplant. Das System wird bis zu 25x20 MHz AWS-4/S-Band 2-GHz-Frequenzen nutzen und vollst盲ndig den 3GPP-NTN-Standards entsprechen.
- None.
- Significant capital requirement of $5 billion for the LEO project
- Extended timeline to commercial service launch in 2029
- High accumulated investment of $18 billion in NTN connectivity since 2012 increases financial exposure
- Potential execution risks in satellite manufacturing and deployment schedule
Insights
EchoStar's $5B LEO satellite constellation represents a major strategic expansion in the competitive direct-to-device connectivity market with significant long-term potential.
EchoStar's announcement marks a significant strategic move in the rapidly evolving satellite communications sector. The company has selected MDA Space to build what they're positioning as the world's first Open RAN broadband NTN LEO constellation, with an initial contract valued at $1.3 billion for over 100 satellites and a total project cost of $5 billion. This represents a major capital commitment that increases EchoStar's total investment in non-terrestrial network satellite connectivity to over $18 billion since 2012.
The technical specifications reveal ambitious scope - the constellation will ultimately comprise 200 satellites (expandable to thousands), utilize up to 25脳20 MHz of AWS-4/S-band 2GHz frequencies, and aims to provide global coverage to over 7 billion people including all 350 million Americans. The system architecture leverages EchoStar's spectrum holdings across multiple regions (United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil) and will be fully compliant with 3GPP NTN standards, enabling direct connectivity to standard 5G devices without modifications.
What makes this initiative particularly noteworthy is EchoStar's vertical integration approach. The company is combining its Hughes communications satellite expertise with its U.S.-based terrestrial 5G Open RAN network capabilities. This positions EchoStar to potentially achieve significant operational synergies while differentiating from competitors who may lack either the spectrum rights or integrated terrestrial infrastructure. The company's mention of its spectrum having "the highest ITU priority" suggests they believe they have regulatory advantages in this space.
While the timeline indicates satellite delivery by 2028 and commercial service by 2029, EchoStar is already launching preliminary services using existing infrastructure - texting services in Europe now and similar services in North America by early 2026. These intermediate steps could provide valuable operational experience and early revenue opportunities as the LEO constellation is developed.
The $5 billion investment EchoStar is making in this LEO constellation represents a major strategic bet on the direct-to-device market that could fundamentally reshape the company's growth trajectory. This follows significant historical investments, with EchoStar having deployed over $13 billion since 2012 in acquiring 2GHz spectrum assets and developing their NTN capabilities. The initial $1.3 billion contract with MDA Space for the first tranche of satellites indicates a measured deployment approach that could help manage financial risk.
From a competitive standpoint, EchoStar is positioning itself against emerging satellite-to-phone providers like AST SpaceMobile and Starlink with several potential advantages. Their extensive spectrum holdings across multiple key markets (U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, Brazil) combined with their integrated terrestrial 5G Open RAN network create infrastructure synergies that pure-play satellite operators lack. By targeting compatibility with standard 5G NTN devices rather than requiring specialized hardware, they're addressing a significantly larger potential market.
The business model appears focused on serving multiple revenue streams across consumer, enterprise, public safety, and government sectors - diversification that could provide resilience against market-specific challenges. The phased deployment schedule with preliminary services launching years before the full constellation indicates a thoughtful approach to revenue generation during the capital-intensive buildout phase.
Financial prudence is suggested by the modular expansion design - starting with 200 satellites while engineering the capability to scale to thousands as demand requires. This optionality preserves capital while allowing EchoStar to respond to market conditions. The long development timeline (commercial service in 2029) creates execution risk, but the company's six decades of satellite expertise somewhat mitigates concerns about their technical capabilities.
For investors, this announcement represents a clear strategic direction that leverages EchoStar's existing assets while positioning for emerging opportunities in the direct-to-device market. The substantial capital commitment indicates management's confidence in the long-term potential of this sector.
The new satellite network will enable a wide range of services to consumers, enterprises and governments across the globe, ensuring
The wideband LEO constellation will cover all 350 million Americans including
Estimated total cost of EchoStar's LEO constellation is
"EchoStar's
"EchoStar's selection of our new MDA AURORA鈩�听D2D software-defined satellites to meet its demanding technical and business requirements is a testament to the confidence satellite operators have in our deep expertise and products, our differentiated MDA AURORA鈩⑻齪roduct, and our expanding production capacity," said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. "This contract also demonstrates our continued market momentum as we strategically position MDA Space to be the prime contractor of choice for satellite operators in the direct-to-device and broadband connectivity."
Since 2012, EchoStar has invested well over
Today, EchoStar holds exclusive licenses in the 2GHz band in
The new LEO constellation satellites will be designed, manufactured and tested at the MDA Space satellite facility. The constellation will utilize up to 25x20 MHz of AWS-4/S-band 2GHz frequencies, and will be fully compliant with the newly created NTN and 3GPP standards, allowing EchoStar to provide messaging, voice, broadband data, and video services upon launch to all devices with the current 3GPP NTN specifications without modifications. Additionally, the constellation will connect to an array of sensor and mobile vehicles.
Delivery of satellites is planned for 2028 with commercial service starting in 2029. The new LEO project, in total, is estimated to cost
About EchoStar Corporation
EchoStar Corporation (Nasdaq: SATS) is a premier provider of technology, networking services, television entertainment and connectivity, offering consumer, enterprise, operator and government solutions worldwide under its EchoStar庐, Boost Mobile庐, Sling TV, DISH TV, Hughes庐, HughesNet庐, HughesON鈩�, and JUPITER鈩� brands. In
漏2025 EchoStar,
i | EchoStar intends to purchase over 200 MDA AURORA鈩�听satellites from MDA Space for an approximate value of |
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