DISH Network has selected Samsung Electronics for the deployment of 5G Open Radio Access Network solutions across DISH Wireless’ SMART 5G network.
Samsung Networks Business will supply DISH Wireless with its 5G and RAN solutions, vRAN software and O-RAN compliant radio units, including Massive MIMO radios. Samsung’s vRAN can operate on any commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) server, while still delivering performance on par with traditional hardware-based equipment.
Samsung radios will also support all of DISH’s Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) spectrum bands.
This is one of the largest radio deals for the South Korean company since its major Verizon contract in 2020. Samsung earlier won a $6.6 billion deal with Verizon.
Dish already has Taiwan’s Microelectronics Technology and Japan’s Fujitsu as suppliers for 5G radios.
Dish is building a 5G network using latest technologies that promises to lower costs and bring in new services, and has tied up with companies ranging from Amazon and Intel to smaller ones such as Altiostar and Mavenir.
Dish has committed to regulators to cover 20 percent of the U.S. population by June, and at least 70 percent of the population by mid-2023.
Dish, which has been setting up network infrastructure in dozens of cities, has also faced supply chain issues that have hurt companies globally, including in the telecom industry, Reuters news report said.
Dish is testing its 5G network using Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphones and plans to using the phones throughout the network deployment process.
Boost Mobile, a prepaid wireless phone brand owned by Dish, lists phones from Samsung, Motorola and Apple on its website.
