AT&T's EchoStar Pursuit Cools

Longtime AT&T watchers say the company has made up its mind to do the deal, noting that Ma Bell almost never gets this far without following through on a strategic move.

EchoStar's Dish network would give AT&T a national video offering, taking the telecom company well outside its largely Southwestern-focused markets. It would also acquire the video expertise and programming agreements necessary to operate on a national level.

Under AT&T, EchoStar's rising customer defection rate or churn would likely decline as the big telco makes it a prime element of its service bundle, industry observers say.

AT&T shares recently were unchanged at $37.63, while EchoStar shares were down $1 to $40.85.