Hamid Akhavan

Hamid Akhavan serves as President and CEO of EchoStar Corporation, the combined entity formed when EchoStar re-merged with Dish Network in January 2024. This reunion brought together Dish's satellite TV subscriber base and wireless spectrum holdings with EchoStar's satellite technology and Hughes connectivity services, creating a company with both legacy pay-TV assets and ambitious 5G wireless ambitions. Akhavan's background includes senior roles at Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile International, giving him deep expertise in network operations and telecom transformation. He inherited one of the most complex corporate situations in American telecommunications: a declining satellite TV business losing subscribers to streaming, massive debt from spectrum acquisitions, and FCC-mandated deadlines to deploy a nationwide 5G Open RAN network. The core challenge is executing a transition from a shrinking pay-TV cash cow to a viable wireless competitor — all while managing a balance sheet burdened with over $20 billion in debt. Akhavan's decisions on 5G network buildout pace, potential spectrum sales or partnerships, debt refinancing, and satellite TV subscriber retention are existential for the company. EchoStar's stock is driven primarily by perceptions of whether the wireless transition can succeed before the pay-TV business declines too far.