DISH Network has stayed quiet over the past few months as it has worked furiously to get its wireless network ready to hit its first milestone of covering 20% of the United States with 5G coverage. However, the company has recently made a few splashes in the headlines with some exciting news surrounding its highly anticipated cloud-native 5G network. Let’s review some of the most exciting news to date.
DISH Network Will Launch in 25 New Cities
DISH already has its sights set on making Las Vegas, Nevada, the first city in the US with 5G connectivity. But, the company has recently announced an additional 25 major markets plus 100 smaller towns that it will have 5G services in by its June 2022 deadline.
For a complete list of cities, click here.
DISH Has Two New Rumored Phones for 5G Network
The Celero 5G is the first original 5G device DISH released for its 5G network, available exclusively for Boost Mobile customers. But it seems that the FCC may have ousted the next lineup of devices that DISH will make available. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently signed off on two new phones on Bands 70 and 26 that are rumored to be Motorola devices. DISH owns bands 26, 29, 48, 66, 70, 71, and 77, and bands 26 and 70 are used for DISH’s wireless traffic. Reading between the lines, it’s safe to say Motorola will be the next brand of phones to be released on DISH’s wireless network!
Get the Scoop on Mike Dano’s Speed Test
Recently, Mike Dano, an Editorial Director over at Light Reading, got the opportunity to visit a DISH 5G cell site in Las Vegas. We suggest popping over to Dano’s full article for all the nitty-gritty tech details. Dano saw some impressive speeds during a network speed test, with a peak download speed of 247Mbps and a download speed of 27.9Mbps. To put that into perspective, 4G LTE speeds produce average download speeds anywhere between 12-35Mbps and upload speeds of 7-8Mbps.
Dano also test drove calling on DISH’s network and could make calls with crystal clear connectivity. But what stood out to Dano was DISH’s bases of its cell towers and how the “brains” behind the network are different from what other carriers are doing.
Dave Mayo, Executive Vice President, Network Development, stated that a few outside factors came into play that the company did not anticipate, but that they’re on track now.
“I think we underestimated the extent of the development,” Mayo said. “We are in pretty good shape now.”
Light Reading
Check out our page dedicated to all things DISH Wireless as we excitedly wait for its 5G network launch. Be sure to subscribe for updates!