Property and Equipment - Additional Information (Details) $ in Thousands	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($) item	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Property and equipment
Property and equipment, net	$ 2,271,425	$ 2,706,182
Accumulated depreciation	4,660,488	$ 4,554,856
Impairment of long-lived assets	356,418
Wireless
Property and equipment
Impairment of long-lived assets	227,000
AWS-4 Satellites
Property and equipment
Impairment of long-lived assets	103,000
T1
Property and equipment
Property and equipment, net	48,000
Accumulated depreciation	18,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	48,120
D1
Property and equipment
Property and equipment, net	55,000
Impairment of long-lived assets	55,000
D1 and T1
Property and equipment
Estimated fair value	0
Property Plant And Equipment Net [Member]
Property and equipment
Impairment of long-lived assets	$ 330,000
EchoStar XVIII, including capitalized interest
Property and equipment
Number of satellites utilized in geostationary orbit approximately 22,300 miles above the equator | item	13
Owned Satellites | item	8
Number of satellites utilized under operating lease | item	1
Number of satellites utilized under capital lease | item	4