DISH secures fibre for 5G network
November 30, 2020
US connectivity company DISH has signed agreements with four fibre vendors, Everstream, Segra, Uniti and Zayo, giving it fronthaul and backhaul support to connect its 5G network to sites covering approximately 60 million Americans.
With these agreements, DISH gains access to fibre coast-to-coast, providing it the coverage, speed and bandwidth needed to connect its forthcoming markets to the nation’s first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G network.
“The fibre agreements with Everstream, Segra, Uniti and Zayo are critical to helping DISH build our 5G network more quickly and cost-effectively than legacy deployments,” said Jeff McSchooler, DISH executive vice president of wireless network operations. “Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in DISH’s deployment process, adding to our strong roster of industry-leading tower, radio, software and now fibre vendors.”
“Everstream is proud to be chosen by DISH as a fibre infrastructure provider throughout our current and expansion markets,” added Everstream president and CEO Brett Lindsey. “We are thrilled that our proven track record of building, installing and maintaining backhaul and fronthaul cellular networks will serve a strategic role as DISH becomes the country’s fourth facilities-based wireless provider. Given our extensive reach, network density and ability to deliver low latency, high capacity connectivity, Everstream is uniquely positioned to serve as the partner of choice for DISH in the Midwest.”
“We are delighted to be a valued network infrastructure partner with DISH in building out its 5G network throughout the Mid-Atlantic and southeast regions of the US,” declared Tim Biltz, Segra’s Chief Executive Officer. “Segra’s extensive fibre network provides the capacity, scalability and reliability to deliver advanced fibre-based solutions and power DISH’s 5G network for years to come.”
“Uniti Fiber has worked diligently with DISH to develop a partnership which can provide value to both parties,” said Greg Ortyl, Uniti president of strategic accounts. “We look forward to leveraging Uniti Fiber’s existing fibre infrastructure to support DISH’s 5G deployment.”
“Uniti has worked diligently with DISH to develop a partnership that will provide strategic value to both parties,” stated Kenny Gunderman, President and CEO of Uniti Group. “We are excited to be given this opportunity to partner with DISH and our ability to leverage Uniti’s existing dense fibre infrastructure to support DISH’s 5G deployment over the next several years.”
“Zayo is excited to partner with DISH as they establish the framework for 5G, helping to set the standard for completely seamless wireless networks that will enable the disruptive technologies which will shape our future – including IoT, smart cities, connected vehicles and more,” remarked Steve Smith, CEO, Zayo Group. “We are proud to leverage Zayo’s deep, dense metro and long-haul fibre networks to meet the bandwidth demands of 5G and to advance the technological innovations of the future.”