Still, the fact that DirecTV and EchoStar have to carve out bundling partnerships also represent the "Achilles' heel" of direct broadcast satellite (DBS), says Jimmy Schaeffler, senior research analyst at The Carmel Group .

    "The problem with every one of these alliances is that they [the DBS providers] have to share," he says. "Their competitors, in this case the telcos and the cable operators, do not. That's the bottom line. They would love to have total control over a triple-play product, but they don't have the technology."

    But of all the deals DirecTV has put together so far, the one with Clearwire "is the one I have strong inclinations toward," Schaeffler says.