Billionaire Ergen Drops CEO Title to Focus on Dish Wireless
- Carlson promoted from chief operating officer to top position
- Investors have been pushing satellite provider for a deal
Charlie Ergen
Photographer: Jonathan Alcorn/Bloomberg
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Charlie Ergen, the billionaire who runs Dish Network Corp., stepped down as chief executive officer to focus on untapping billions of dollars of the company’s unused wireless spectrum.
Investors have been pushing for a big-ticket deal to capitalize on the spectrum, which is ideal for streaming movies as well as maintaining a cellular signal over long distances. Ergen, who will remain chairman, spoke last month of new opportunities for wireless partnerships in the wake of the collapse of merger talks between Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc.