Charlie Ergen reunites Dish, EchoStar in all-stock deal

Dish Network said on Tuesday it would merge with satellite operator EchoStar to create a roughly $6 billion company by reuniting billionaire Charlie Ergen’s telecom empire to tackle growing competition from larger U.S. carriers.

Since spinning off EchoStar in 2008, Dish has looked to expand beyond satellite TV into streaming TV as well as mobile telecom services, but has faced stiff competition from bigger rivals, including AT&T and Verizon Communications.