Stepping up to the 5G game is Dish Network, who back in May reported they had plans to make their 5G network the end all, be all, of networks. Later, they also vowed to cover at least 10k sites with their 5G coverage by the end of 2022.
Dish’s big play here is to utilize cloud based architecture for its standalone 5G network. This should allow them to provide more service to consumers as well as enterprises. They’ve already had time to work with AWS (Amazon Web Services) to host its 5G RAN and core. Network Chief of Dish Network, Marc Rouanne, said [at an AWS conference] that their decision will allow them to build a network optimized not just for human but also machine-to-machine communications.
Rouanne also discussed how their service will be a “network of networks,” where each sub-network is defined by the specific needs of each enterprise. This is where AWS comes into play – it is a platform where as a consumer, you can design the type of connection your application requires, and it’s done in a simplified way.
“It’s not just one size fits all like we used to. It will be customizable by speed, latency…and many other features,” said Rouanne.
On its cloud-based 5G network, “companies will be able to utilize aggregated and analyzed data to identify patterns and improve [the] customer experience,” Rouanne explained. He added the ability to drive automation at scale using artificial intelligence and machine learning will be critical in helping it manage the highly complex “network of networks” it envisions.
It’s pushing hard to bring its vision to life. Rouanne said it’s already able to create a nationwide network that it can “scale up and down at will, which would have taken years on the classical 4G or 5G network.” He added “We can literally move the software around, north and south, in hours, which again would have taken years in existing networks because it’s tied to tons of hardware.”
“Looking ahead, Dish is going to be the enabler of technology people have not even imagined yet,” Rouanne claimed.