A dominant storyline in the world of 5G this Summer has been the acquisition of Boost Mobile by DISH Network. Now adding to the narrative, DISH has taken two steps forward by announcing that it will begin partnering with both Fujitsu and Altiostar to continue bolstering its 5G network capabilities.
The deal with Fujitsu is for 5G radio units (RUs) that will be distributed throughout the United States. The purchase of these RUs will be industry-leading and capable of connecting to all DISH cloud-native Distributed Unit (DU) vendors. Using Fujitsu’s Low Band, Tri-Band RU, and Mid Band Dual-Band RU for O-RAN radios, DISH will be capable of utilizing these units throughout its vast collection of spectrum. According to Marc Rouanne, DISH’s Executive VP and Chief Network Officer, Fujitsu will provide DISH with “proven radio performance and zero-touch automation” as it builds out its cloud-native network.
Furthermore, DISH’s partnership with Fujitsu will also yield a valuable relationship with access to Fujitsu’s supply chain to help implement radio and antenna integration that is above the rest. Fujitsu will also assist in handling hardware validation for different DISH vendors including the Altiostar as the company prepares to provide cloud-native O-RAN compliant solutions.
Altiostar’s solutions will enable DISH scalability depending on which services or applications are being implemented. This will help DISH in its quest to develop a unique 5G network as it looks to differentiate itself from the competition. Altiostar leads the industry in Open vRAN solutions and will work with additional industry partners to assist with DISH’s deployment of its network and its previous experience will come in handy as the satellite giant takes on wireless in the U.S. Altiostar is responsible for assisting Rakuten in unleashing its 5G network earlier in 2020 throughout Japan. Ashraf Dahod, the CEO of Altiostar Networks said, “Altiostar is excited to partner with DISH and execute on their vision to build the first cloud-native, O-RAN 5G network in the U.S.” The President of Altiostar continued, “As a U.S. company, we are proud to contribute our leading open vRAN technology innovation to DISH, and work with the fast-growing O-RAN ecosystem to accelerate 5G leadership in the U.S.” As a company specializing in helping lower the total cost of ownership for customers, Altiostar is seeing tremendous opportunity as a company in 2020.
The future of DISH is here as it completes its long-awaited Boost Network deal. By taking the necessary steps with not one but two industry-leading companies to partner with, DISH is ensuring that it transitions into the world of wireless smoothly and with the benefit of experienced assistance. Last December it was revealed that DISH was planning on working with a mystery partner to help make its wireless dreams a reality and help lower costs. Many major names including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft have been floated around over the last few months as anticipation continued to grow. Whether or not these partnerships are the solutions DISH alluded to last Winter remains to be seen but what is for sure, is that DISH is starting on the right foot to help deliver the best network it possibly can to its customers.
Source:Yahoo! Finance