DISH today announced it will release a Request for Proposal (RFP) for deployment services vendors in order to build the first standalone 5G broadband network in the U.S.
This is the third in a series of RFPs for different elements of the national network. The latest RFP from Dish will be released during the week of October 28.
DISH aims to build a standalone 5G broadband network available to at least 70 percent of the U.S. population by June 2023.
The Deployment Services RFP includes requests for strategies and experience in areas such as pre-construction, site acquisition, architecture and engineering, utility coordination, regulatory compliance, construction, procurement, staging, quality and safety management civil engineering including electrical, network element installation and tower climbing, DISH said.
We’ll build upon the existing relationships we have with deployment vendors from our NB-IoT buildout, while seeking local, regional and national vendors that can apply their strengths to increase the speed and efficiency of our 5G network deployment,” said Jeff McSchooler, DISH executive vice president of Wireless Operations.
Earlier, DISH entered into master services agreements with national deployment vendors when it initiated the buildout of an NB-IoT network in 2018.
DISH issued a 5G Network RFI/P in July, seeking input from vendors for the network elements.
In September, DISH issued a System RFP, seeking responses from vendors to provide a software solution for project management, workflows, reporting and other utilities that aid in deploying the national network.
Vendors interested in receiving the Deployment Services RFP when it is released can contact DISH Wireless at 5GservicesRFP@dish.com before Oct. 28, 2019.
