Dish Network released its first 5G market in the U.S. on May 4th in Las Vegas. This came after they originally expected to launch at the end of 2020.
In a few weeks, Dish will be switching on 25 major markets – including a few smaller sites – which should cover 20% of the U.S. population with 5G.
Per a statement from Dish’s CEO Erik Carlson, they are on their way to meeting a deadline of June 14th.
Since Dish will initially deliver a “data–only network,” they’ll be relying on a 10 year deal they signed with AT&T back in July 2021 for providing voice services.
The service plans, which Dish is currently calling “Project Genesis,” offers unlimited 5G data, text, and voice for only $30 per month. With regards to phones, Dish has only one 5G model on its new network so far – the $900 Motorola Edge+.
Among other frequencies, the company is using band 71 (600MHz) low–band spectrum for coverage. This is the band over which T-Mobile was able to begin rolling out their 5G network. They’re also using band 66 (AWS) mid–band (like Verizon does) to achieve increased data download speeds for its initial Vegas deployment. Download speeds for the 5G service in Vegas have been clocked at over 100mbps.
The Dell’Oro Group calls the Dish launch “one of the most anticipated and publicized 5G Core launches” in a new report, noting that Dish is “the first to run 5G Core on the public cloud.” The analysts note that Nokia is the main 5G core vendor for Dish.
Dish has given themselves until June 14, 2023 to continue building out their 5G network – ultimately covering 70% of the U.S. population. The company has also promised the Federal Communications Commission that such a network will use “at least 15,000 5G sites” and “at least 30 MHz of Dish’s 5G downlink spectrum” in order to be considered “a nationwide facilities–based wireless competitor.”