ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--EchoStar Fixed Satellite Services Corporation (EFSSC), a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), announced today that it has entered into a long-term contract with ARTEL, Inc. to provide fixed satellite service for the Department of Defense (DOD). Through the agreement, EchoStar will provide ARTEL multiple satellite transponders within its satellite fleet.

“We are pleased to enter into this agreement with ARTEL to provide them with critical bandwidth and uplink services within our fixed satellite service product,” said Michael Kelly, executive vice president of FSS Business Development for EchoStar. “With EchoStar’s fleet of 14 satellites, we were able to establish a satellite solution to achieve the unique requirements presented by ARTEL and the Department of Defense.”

EFSSC’s capacity will be used by the U.S. Military in conjunction with the Joint Network Node (JNN) mobile communications system. The JNN allows the U.S. Military to route communication and data, as well as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) traffic, over commercial satellites to connect with other military networks. EchoStar represents a significant source of Ku-band and Ka-band satellite capacity together with satellite related products and support services.

“We look forward to working with EchoStar and feel that there are many synergies between our companies,” noted Abbas Yazdani, president and CEO of ARTEL. “This type of business requires customized solutions and EchoStar’s uplink engineering staff has been very responsive to our requests.”

For more information on EFSSC or for occasional satellite services, contact Michael Kelly at 303-723-1080, michael.kelly@echostar.com or Greg Sheldon at 303-706-5264, greg.sheldon@echostar.com.

About EchoStar Fixed Satellite Services Corporation (EFSSC)

EFSSC owns or leases 14 in-orbit satellites operating in FSS Ku-band, BSS and Ka-band. The company has an extensive terrestrial fiber optic network with points of presence in 168 cities and seven regional gateways to provide customers with end-to-end connectivity and a reliable platform to distribute video and data throughout the United States and internationally.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation

EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) serves more than 13 million satellite TV customers through its DISH Network(TM), the fastest-growing pay-TV provider in the country since 2000. DISH Network's services include hundreds of video and audio channels, Interactive TV, HDTV, sports and international programming, together with professional installation and 24-hour customer service. EchoStar has been a leader for more than 25 years in satellite TV equipment sales and support worldwide. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 300 company. Visit EchoStar's Web site at www.echostar.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474).

About ARTEL, Inc.

Founded in 1986, ARTEL is a global leader in information technology providing a full spectrum of telecommunications, network management, solutions integration and information security services to meet the critical business and technology objectives of its clients. Operating in six of the seven continents around the globe in both commercial and government markets, ARTEL provides information technology solutions that cover the full life-cycle process, beginning with strategic business analysis and planning and ending with full implementation. Visit ARTEL on the web at www.artelinc.com.