EchoStar Communications and Guest-Tek Interactive Entertainment reached a multiyear strategic agreement to deliver Dish Network programming to hotel properties.
The agreement will give hoteliers throughout the United States a package of television-programming services called Free-to-Guest, which includes a wide range of premium content and more HD channels than previously available.
“This agreement with Dish Network to offer Free-to-Guest HD programming allows us to provide our clients a robust and entertaining package,” Guest-Tek CEO Arnon Levy said in a prepared statement. “Adding Free-to-Guest to our HD video-on-demand platform has created the most comprehensive and flexible HD solution available, delivered over a single network.”
Guest-Tek brings additional value to the hotelier through its ability to provide the FTG programming over a converged network along with its VOD, HD VOD and telephony services. Guest-Tek offers this converged triple-play service set through multiple network platforms including coaxial and local-area-network infrastructures. Guest-Tek’s ability to deliver all services through one network is a significant advantage to hoteliers adding ancillary products such as HDTV sets into their guest rooms.
The agreement with EchoStar allows Guest-Tek to offer FTG within its already successful OneView Media group of solutions, offering hoteliers the choice of hundreds of all-digital channels including movies, sports, news, music and the most national HD channels in the country. The OneView solution allows hoteliers the ability to converge infrastructure for OneView Media, OneView Voice and OneView Internet technologies, saving on hardware and maintenance costs.
Guest-Tek is the world's largest provider of Internet-protocol-based technology solutions for the hospitality industry. It provides services including network design, procurement, implementation and post-sales customer support to more than 3,400 properties and over 505,000 rooms. The company's head offices are in Calgary, Alberta.
