Dish Wireless intends to launch 5G in 25 major cities and more than 100 smaller cities by June, according to reports in Fierce Wireless and Light Reading.
The publications have lists of cities in their stories, but here’s a map to make the situation more visual. The company has over 50 markets in construction, Fierce Wireless says.
Dish Wireless is under an FCC requirement to cover 20% of the US population by mid 2022 and to cover 70% of the population by mid 2023. Company executives cited in several stories say they will meet those deadlines.
Dish has been collecting wireless spectrum for more than a decade now, but its plans got supercharged when it became a key part of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger in 2020. As part of the merger, Dish received some airwaves and the Boost Mobile business from T-Mobile, along with assurances that T-Mobile would let Dish use its network for seven years.
The partnership between Dish and T-Mobile has been rocky, though, with the two companies clashing over T-Mobile’s plans to shut down Sprint’s older 3G network. In 2021, Dish decided to use AT&T as a primary partner instead.
Dish also owns the Republic Wireless brand.
Yes, It’s Real—Here’s the Speed Test
Dish has been sending out emails and questionnaires to people who potentially want to use its network in Las Vegas. I got one and responded, but I haven’t been signed up yet.
Light Reading’s editorial director Mike Dano, on the other hand, got to visit a site, make a call, and run a speed test, where he got 247Mbps down and 27.9Mbps up. The network is currently using bands 66, 70, and 71, Dish told him (although we don’t know of any devices that support band 70 yet).
Dano was especially impressed with Dish’s infrastructure build, which gets really into the weeds—you can read more in his story. One important point about coverage, though: At the bottom of the story, Dano says Dish tells him it will rely on roaming with partners such as AT&T for in-building services.
As mentioned, I’m trying to get access to Dish’s network and looking forward to testing it when I can.
