EchoStar Communications Corp. plans to launch its first television-commerce
options this fall, with multiple shopping services offered through Dish Network
receivers with interactive-television capabilities, company executives said
earlier this week during an on-air subscriber 'Tech Chat.'
The company plans to introduce what it calls a 'Dish Wallet' so that
consumers can store their credit-card information remotely on EchoStar servers
for instant-ordering capability via the remote control.
Because the credit-card information would be secured on Dish servers, the
confidential information would not travel the Internet during each transaction,
and it wouldn't be stored on subscriber receivers in case a customer were to
sell the set-top box.
EchoStar spokesman Marc Lumpkin said the company's T-commerce plans were
still in the preliminary stages.
He added that the company plans to launch its television-based customer-care
option this summer to subscribers with OpenTV Corp.-activated receivers. The new
functionality would allow subscribers to order new programming and pay their
bills electronically via the remote control.
