Another day means another step in the right direction from DISH Wireless who is now allowing consumers to sign up for its 5G network. A mysterious Project Genesis website (stylized as Project Gene5is) will allow users to sign up for DISH’s 5G network that has already started deployment after partnering with Amazon Web Services in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Because of the vagueness of the website and the fact that the most likely to discover the site would be those within the industry, some are left scratching their heads as to why DISH Wireless would create it in the first place. Jeff Moore, from Wave7 Research, thought the move by DISH was another case of the newest major wireless company in America finding its way into a new space. “I think that DISH is seeing every day as a new day for them to learn about wireless in general,” said Moore.
While we await the full potential of the website, one thing is for certain: DISH Wireless continues to press on. There are many reasons to be excited and notifying potential subscribers as to when they can enroll in DISH’s standalone (SA) 5G network makes a lot of sense for the company and consumers. With a deadline approaching in 2023 to cover 50% of the population with its licenses to gain an additional 2-year extension to cover 70%-75% of the population depending on the license, DISH Wireless is looking to cover a lot of ground in a short period. Failure to do so will result in a fine reaching over $2 billion.
On top of its deadline(s), DISH Wireless has taken a rural approach as well as an urban approach for deploying its 5G network from the start. DISH already has experience providing rural markets with television services via satellite and understands the importance of reaching underserved markets. Because of its greenfield design, DISH Wireless will be able to use existing structures as infrastructure for its 5G network. A software-based, programmable network will allow the company to deploy and maintain the 5G network easier and cheaper. The same benefits it is seeing from its cloud-native approach.
But one of the main areas DISH Wireless continues to push is its network slicing abilities. Through network slicing, the company will provide privatized end-to-end 5G networks built for specific functions that allow improved deployment, security, and customization. Together with 5G-powered fixed wireless access (FWA), DISH Wireless is hoping to provide faster connections to a wider range of markets for both consumers and enterprises in places that traditionally struggle to receive high-speed Internet.
Source: Fierce Wireless