HIGHLIGHTS
- Dish already has Microelectronics Technology from Taiwan.
- Dish Network is constructing a 5G network employing cutting-edge technology.
- Dish Network is also testing its 5G network with the Samsung Galaxy S22.
Samsung has struck a multi-year agreement to provide equipment to Dish for its planned 5G network in the United States, marking one of the South Korean company's largest radio transactions since its huge Verizon pact in 2020.
By obtaining a $6.6 billion (approximately Rs. 50,490 crore) agreement with Verizon, Samsung established itself as a rival to leading telecoms equipment providers Nokia and Ericsson in the United States, and the contract with Dish strengthens its position even more.
"This is a multibillion-dollar deal for Samsung Networks," Alok Shah, vice president at Samsung, told Reuters. "Our first items will be delivered to Dish later this year."
Microelectronics Technology (MTI) of Taiwan and Fujitsu of Japan are already vendors of 5G radios to Dish.
Dish is constructing a 5G network employing cutting-edge technologies that promises to reduce costs and introduce new services, and has partnered with firms ranging from Amazon and Intel to smaller ones like Altiostar and Mavenir.
While Dish has not yet built a commercial network, it has vowed to regulators that it would reach 20% of the US population by June, and at least 70% by mid-2023.
"We have a goal of achieving 20% population coverage by June, and we are on schedule to do so," Dish Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Bye said in an interview.
"We've had beta users on our network for a while now, testing our network... we simply haven't announced commercial launch yet, and you'll see that in the next weeks," he added.
Dish, which has been building network infrastructure in dozens of locations, has also encountered supply chain challenges that have harmed firms throughout the world, including those in the telecommunications industry.
According to Bye, supply chains have been challenging for the past 12-18 months and will continue to be so in the coming months. However, Dish has all of the necessary components to achieve its goals.
Dish is also testing its 5G network with Samsung Galaxy S22 phones, which it intends to use throughout the network implementation process.
"We are working with various device suppliers, and you can see on the Boost website that we have agreements with a number of device vendors," Bye explained.
Boost Mobile, a Dish-owned prepaid cellular phone brand, sells phones from Samsung, Motorola, and Apple on its website.
