CenturyTel Inc. will market EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite service in 22 states under terms of a deal announced Thursday.
The company expects to begin offering the service -- to be branded CenturyTel/Dish Network -- by year-end.
CenturyTel will be the primary point of contact for CenturyTel/Dish customers with responsibility for marketing, account management and billing-related inquiries, while programming, installation and technical support will be handled by a co-branded Dish Network team.
"Integrating video-entertainment services into our product and service bundles offers our customers more choice, value and convenience," CenturyTel chairman and CEO Glen F. Post III said in a prepared statement.
"This agreement puts CenturyTel in a strong strategic position to compete with other service providers in our markets and should help to drive additional revenue," Post added.
CenturyTel provides communications services including local telephony, long-distance telephony, Internet access and data services.
