J.D. Power Ranks Dish Network No. 1 In Customer Satisfaction; EchoStar Ranks Ahead Of Cable, Satellite Competitors In Overall Customer Satisfaction

EchoStar Communications Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH, DISHP) has announced that Dish Networkô ranked number one in overall customer satisfaction in the pay-TV industry, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 1999 Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study (SM). In addition, DISH Network outranked its satellite TV competitor, DirecTV, for the third year in a row in customer satisfaction. Also, EchoStar beat all of the cable companies in the customer satisfaction survey, particularly in the two most important drivers of customer satisfaction: cost of service and program offerings.""""EchoStar is pleased to accept the number one ranking in overall customer satisfaction with respect to Dish Networkís satellite television service,"" said Charlie Ergen, CEO and Chairman of EchoStar. ""At Dish Network, we work hard everyday to communicate one-on-one with our customers, to keep our prices the lowest in the industry and to continue improving our channel offerings. The launch of our next satellite on September 10 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to customer satisfaction as we become the first in the nation to offer 500 channels on a single dish, including local network channels, high definition television and interactive TV services.""Dish Network also outranked other satellite and cable pay TV competitors in the categories of image/credibility/billing, customer service, equipment and service capabilities, and reception quality.""Congratulations to our employees at Dish Network, who are excited to hear that their hard work and training in providing customer service have paid off by being named number one in the industry in overall customer satisfaction,"" said Soraya Hesabi-Cartwright, senior vice president of Sales, Customer Service and Human Resources at EchoStar. ""One of our primary goals is to provide excellent customer service, and one of the ways we do that is by operating our own customer service centers to give customers assistance from Dish Network employees 24 hours a day.""Through July of 1999, Dish Network has enjoyed an 86 percent increase in growth in new customers compared to the same period last year.""Consumers enjoy the breadth of program offerings from satellite providers and in general believe that they are receiving good value for their monthly service fee,"" said Kirk Parsons, Director of Telecommunications Studies at J.D. Power and Associates. ""This trend had been evident in our studies for the past three years, with satellite companies clearly wining the hears and minds of consumers.""The 1999 Cable/Satellite TV Customer Satisfaction Study is based on direct customer feedback from a representative sample of 10,266 households nationwide.Headquartered in Agoura Hills, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. The above survey results can be accessed at www.jdpower.com.With the launch of EchoStar V, Dish Network offers 500 channels of crystal-clear, CD-quality audio and video channels, providing the best in entertainment television, local broadcast TV networks and international programming. Call 800 333-DISH (3474) for more information on the Dish Network digital satellite TV system.