Dish Network has signed seven new wireless tower deals, as it moves ahead to become the fourth largest carrier in the US.
Dish Network has primarily been known for satellite TV service. Under current leadership, however, the company has been working to become a wireless carrier. When T-Mobile bought out Sprint, one of the government’s conditions of the merger was selling off some of their prepaid assets, which Dish bought as well as licensing spectrum to the company. Regulators were worried about the implications of the market going to three carriers, and wanted Dish to become a viable fourth option.
Dish has been been moving full-steam-ahead as it works to build a wireless network from scratch. In its latest efforts, it has signed tower deals with Harmoni Towers, Mobilitie, Parallel Infrastructure, Phoenix Tower International (PTI), Tillman Infrastructure, Tower Ventures and Vogue Towers. This will provide Dish with access to over 4,000 towers and wireless sites, coast-to-coast, in addition to its spectrum agreements with T-Mobile.
“Securing strong tower partners is a key component of any network expansion, and is tremendously important for DISH’s rapid roll-out of a new, nationwide 5G network,” said Dave Mayo, DISH Executive Vice President of Network Development. “Each of these new tower partners will play an important role in bringing our network to life, connecting next-generation wireless service to American consumers and enterprises.”
“We are excited to partner with DISH and look forward to being a part of their nationwide 5G network deployment,” stated Lawrence Gleason, President, Harmoni Towers. “We believe our growing portfolio of newly constructed towers provides a unique opportunity to quickly and efficiently deliver the wireless infrastructure solutions DISH requires.”