Tag: dish

Updates on Dish Network’s 5G Rollout

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.”  

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How Samsung is Helping Dish Network Reach Their 5G Goals

File:Dish Network logo 2012.svg - Wikimedia Commons

Dish Network has been in the process of trying to roll out their own 5G network. This was originally reported May 2020 when they said they would compete at the same level at the big 3 carriers. They later said that it was their goal to cover at least 10k sites with their 5G coverage by the end of this year. Ultimately, they want to cover approximately 70 percent of the population by summer 2023. 

A question that is surely on most minds is, what is Dish going to bring to the table that the other 3 have not?  Aside from the C-Band spectrum they picked up at a FCC auction back in January, they’ve just partnered with Samsung. They’ll join the Dish team as a vendor for phones and other mobile devices as well as software. 

Also, unlike some other carriers who have repurposed old frequency bands for 5G, Dish is basing their 5G network on a newer, cloud-based technology called O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network). This technology relies on off-the-shelf (not proprietary) hardware. Samsung is supplying vRAN software and radio units to help make the whole thing work.

In a recent interview with Reuters, Alok Shah, vice president at Samsung, said they have had and continue to have beta testing going on for the network. They also plan on having an official launch in the next few weeks. 

However, there’s been concern over supply chain issues. According to Dish Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Bye, supply chains had been tough for 12-18 months and the challenges were not going to go away in the next couple of months. He assures that Dish has all the components to reach its June coverage target.

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SpaceX has a new premium satellite service with faster speeds at 5 times the cost of the standard service

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, tweeted some big news on Tuesday. The tweet included a link to their website with mention of a new Starlink Premium service plan.

The Starlink satellite Internet service has been offering a standard plan to users. The plan costs $99 per month, plus a one time $499 fee for a setup kit. The plan promises users bandwidth speeds up to 150Mbps. Of course, as many users have reported, that can be quite variable at this point. 

Now SpaceX is offering their premium plan, which has been designed for better performance in “extreme weather conditions.” According to the Starlink website, the service plan is described as ideal for “small offices, storefronts, and super users across the globe.”

It seems that because of these upgrades to the service, the monthly cost is much higher, at $500. There’s also a $500 deposit that is required and the setup kit jumps up to a price of $2500. The setup kit not only includes the Dish, but a tripod mount and a WiFi router. Performance compared to the standard plan also goes up quite a bit. Users can experience anywhere from 150 to 500 Megabits per second. 

The website says that customers would be able to get their hands on Starlink Premium in the second quarter of 2022. Also, customers who paid the $500 deposit will receive a notification when their internet kit is on the way. 

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