DISH opens website for wireless 5G service

DISH Network, the satellite TV provider, is signing up customers for its new 5G wireless network, but there is no guarantee when its network will be ready across the entire country.

The company announced that the first location will be in Las Vegas and launched May 2022. Dish also hopes to expand its coverage to 70% of the U.S. population by June 2023.

Interested customers can sign up for Dish’s newsletter in order to receive notifications about when Dish will be serviceable in their area. Customers can input their email, ZIP code and phone number (optional) through Dish’s new website called Project Genesis. Just click the “request access” button on the website page.

As Dish continues to develop its own 5G network, it is able to provide 4G and 5G service by partnering with other wireless carriers. In July 2021, for instance, Dish signed an agreement with AT&T that allows Dish to use AT&T’s 4G and 5G network.

The deal will cost Dish $5 billion and last for 10 years. Under the agreement, AT&T will also be able to deploy some of Dish’s wireless spectrum, the radio waves required for operating a mobile network. Any of Dish’s wireless spectrum that is deployed will be available for use by Dish customers via the AT&T network and by AT&T customers for a select amount of time.

Dish will be able to operate all of its mobile brands through AT&T’s network. These mobile brands include Boost Mobile, Ting and Republic Wireless, but can include any new brands Dish launches as well.

Although AT&T will be a major partner for Dish getting 5G to its customers, AT&T and Dish’s agreement is still non exclusive. For this reason, Dish will be able to continue to access T-Mobile’s 5G network through their already-established network service agreement. In addition to T-Mobile 5G wireless, T-Mobile is currently expanding 5G home internet. Dish’s agreement with T-Mobile is for the next seven years, which gives Dish plenty of time to deploy its own 5G network throughout the country.

Once Dish is able to roll out its 5G network, Dish will officially become the nation’s fourth wireless carrier. While there used to be four wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint), when T-Mobile acquired Sprint in 2020, the number of carriers dropped down to three.

T-Mobile and Sprint were only able to join forces, however, under the agreement that Dish would eventually become another wireless carrier. To what degree Dish becomes a true competitor against AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile and when this may happen, however, is still up in the air.

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Written by:

Ari Howard

Associate Writer, Broadband & Wireless Content

Ari is an Associate Writer for the Allconnect team. She primarily writes about broadband news and studies, particularly relating to internet access, digital safety, broadband-related technology and the digital d… Read more