DirecTV confirms EchoStar wireless plans

We love it when a good rumor turns out to be true (and, yeah, we love 'em when they're not true, too). And it turns out that almost everything was right about the tales that were spun last month about DirecTV and EchoStar planning to spend as much as $1 billion to bring a high-speed wireless service to the masses in the US. As confirmed today by none other than Rupert Murdoch and DirecTV CEO Chase Carey,  the two companies are indeed in talks to develop a wireless service, with Murdoch prepared to write that $1billion check. While the specific wireless technology to be used is still a mystery, our money is still on WiMax -- but of course, it's Rupe's money that will do the talking.

[Matt @ Feb 8th 2006 5:40PM]

$1 Billion doesn't seem like a whole lot of money to start a nationwide wireless ISP with. Maybe if they only concentrated on major metro areas it would cover it (or at least a few).

[Sixth @ Feb 8th 2006 5:51PM]

Unless they're planning to deploy a constellation in low earth orbit, the service will suck because of the inherent latency. Geostationary orbit is at 22000 miles, so a ping would have to travel that distance four times, giving a latency of ~500 ms minimum.

[vista @ Feb 8th 2006 6:00PM]

mmm... pretty awesome

[RadioScott @ Feb 8th 2006 6:03PM]

D* and E* teaming up? Hoo boy. Talk about an axis of evil.

[John @ Feb 8th 2006 6:41PM]

Ummm... Will you have to use this wireless service for Republican propaganda? Or just anything thats right of center?

[Austin @ Feb 8th 2006 7:06PM]

The warpath won't stop until Mickey Mouse runs out of C-Notes in those black speedos, and those **** Comcastic radio commercials are used for "torture" on terrorists.

[Desert @ Feb 8th 2006 7:21PM]

Great, another media channel for the fascist propoganda machine.

[Virtuous @ Feb 8th 2006 7:35PM]

This new service should be targeted at areas that have no high-speed access currently. Metropolitan areas already have choice between cable and DSL. Many rural areas have no options other than slow dial-up.

[Justin @ Feb 8th 2006 7:51PM]

I agree with Virtuous. If it is possible, I think this (or any new) service should be targeted at areas that have no high speed access currently. My parents live in a rural coastal area here in California and have 26.4k dial up, 31k on a "good" day.

The only broadband choice they have is through satelite now but it is both extremely expensive and they cap your bandwidth if you exceed a certain data download level.

If they can make this service available to rural areas and affordable, aka $40 or less a month, they will have a winner.

[D-Shizzle @ Feb 8th 2006 9:53PM]

Um...maybe I'm missing something, but if there's a sat. company involved, doesn't this sound like it could be targeted ANYWHERE? Hello broadband on the highway in the middle of no-where! Get a special receiver for your car, and you could listen to http://www.radioparadise.com through that Mac Mini you stuffed in your dashboard!

[patrick @ Feb 8th 2006 10:02PM]

All of this dosent suprize me, why do you think Rupert Murdoch bought USDTV Obviously not for the TV service they offer because he already owns DirecTV, why would he buy another TV competitor. They can turn that around and use the bandwidth for a wireless internet and not for sending TV signals.

[dan warriner @ Feb 9th 2006 1:07AM]

::tear::
its really happening