EchoStar / Dish’s Path Forward

[FLEABttn]

never beating the spectrum squatter allegations

 

[NYDutch]

never beating the spectrum squatter allegations

Allegations only made by those with no understanding of what Charlie was attempting to accomplish. If he just wanted to sit on the spectrum, why bother to fund thousands of 5G locations?

 

[ewindowman]

Is Boost mobile any good? 15 dollars is a good deal. I have Verizon now and it works fine. I tried xfinity mobile but it had its problems. It would always try to connect to a WiFi networks when you were out and around town instead of a cellular network . I would sometimes have to turn off WiFi just to connect.

 

[AZ.]

Allegations only made by those with no understanding of what Charlie was attempting to accomplish. If he just wanted to sit on the spectrum, why bother to fund thousands of 5G locations?

I think many of us thought thats a big jump. Then the years rolled by and things slowed down, as all the other companies were way a head. Playing catchup in the tech world is very hard!

Kinda like if a new a startup, tried their hand at autonomous driving today? Everyone is 10 years ahead now.

 

[HipKat]

Is Boost mobile any good? 15 dollars is a good deal. I have Verizon now and it works fine. I tried xfinity mobile but it had its problems. It would always try to connect to a WiFi networks when you were out and around town instead of a cellular network . I would sometimes have to turn off WiFi just to connect.

Like anywhere, location matters. I have 5 of my techs using it. 4 love it, one has occasional signal issues

 

[NYDutch]

I think many of us thought thats a big jump. Then the years rolled by and things slowed down, as all the other companies were way a head. Playing catchup in the tech world is very hard!

Kinda like if a new a startup, tried their hand at autonomous driving today? Everyone is 10 years ahead now.

That still doesn't present any evidence that Charlie was deliberately squatting on the spectrum just waiting for the price to increase though. Obviously the time came when he realized his grand plan was no longer feasible, and he went for the best price he could get for the spectrum.

 

[AZ.]

That still doesn't present any evidence that Charlie was deliberately squatting on the spectrum just waiting for the price to increase though. Obviously the time came when he realized his grand plan was no longer feasible, and he went for the best price he could get for the spectrum.

No that wasnt my point at all. The way the deal was worded he couldnt!

He was behind the 8 ball to start, and needed to expedite it 10x faster than he did!

 

[NYDutch]

No that wasnt my point at all. The way the deal was worded he couldnt!

He was behind the 8 ball to start, and needed to expedite it 10x faster than he did!

"...than he did!", or "than he could"...

 

[Derek K]

never beating the spectrum squatter allegations

It really makes you wonder if this wasn't the game plan from Day 1, considering we never really saw Dish's 5G network ever being used.

If it ever reached 70% of the country, why where Boost customers not put on DISH's own 5G network and then they could have used AT&T's network to fill in the areas that they didn't service?

If I am not mistaken when this was launched in Las Vegas at Team Summit several years ago, it was demonstrated as a 2 sim card solution to work in areas that Dish did not yet service. I could be wrong on this, but I think Dish employees had their cell phones on DISH's 5G network with the 2 sim card solution.

What this looks like to me is that Charlie's 5G network never reached 70% of the country, and he needed way more time and resources to finish his build.

This little fiasco with the FCC was no more than Charlie's way out

 

[NYDutch]

It really makes you wonder if this wasn't the game plan from Day 1, considering we never really saw Dish's 5G network ever being used.

If it ever reached 70% of the country, why where Boost customers not put on DISH's own 5G network and then they could have used AT&T's network to fill in the areas that they didn't service?

If I am not mistaken when this was launched in Las Vegas at Team Summit several years ago, it was demonstrated as a 2 sim card solution to work in areas that Dish did not yet service. I could be wrong on this, but I think Dish employees had their cell phones on DISH's 5G network with the 2 sim card solution.

What this looks like to me is that Charlie's 5G network never reached 70% of the country, and he needed way more time and resources to finish his build.

This little fiasco with the FCC was no more than Charlie's way out

LITTLETON, Colo., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As of June 14, DISH Wireless is offering 5G broadband1​ service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population, giving more than 240 million Americans access to the very latest in connectivity technology. This marks a major milestone for DISH and the U.S. telecom industry, as we designed, built and deployed a first-of-its-kind 5G network in three years. DISH has also satisfied all other June 14, 2023 FCC commitments, including launching over 15,000 5G sites.
...
Customers can access the DISH 5G broadband network through Project Genesis, which provides valuable customer input on network performance impacting our broader retail wireless users. It is available to anyone in a qualifying location within the 70 percent coverage area. To sign up for Project Genesis unlimited data, voice and text, visit Genesis5G.com. The motorola edge+ 2023 is now available to Project Genesis subscribers, and is equipped with three carrier aggregation that supports Bands 29, 66, 70 and 712​.

The DISH 5G network is also available to both Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite subscribers who own or purchase a network compatible device in over 50 markets nationwide. Additional Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite markets, and DISH 5G network compatible devices will continue to become available throughout the year.

The DISH 5G Network is Now Available to Over 70 Percent of the U.S. Population

More than 240 million Americans now have access to DISH 5G broadband service; DISH satisfies June 14, 2023 FCC commitments LITTLETON, Colo., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As of June 14, DISH...

about.dish.com

 

[Derek K]

LITTLETON, Colo., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As of June 14, DISH Wireless is offering 5G broadband1​ service to over 70 percent of the U.S. population, giving more than 240 million Americans access to the very latest in connectivity technology. This marks a major milestone for DISH and the U.S. telecom industry, as we designed, built and deployed a first-of-its-kind 5G network in three years. DISH has also satisfied all other June 14, 2023 FCC commitments, including launching over 15,000 5G sites.
...
Customers can access the DISH 5G broadband network through Project Genesis, which provides valuable customer input on network performance impacting our broader retail wireless users. It is available to anyone in a qualifying location within the 70 percent coverage area. To sign up for Project Genesis unlimited data, voice and text, visit Genesis5G.com. The motorola edge+ 2023 is now available to Project Genesis subscribers, and is equipped with three carrier aggregation that supports Bands 29, 66, 70 and 712​.

The DISH 5G network is also available to both Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite subscribers who own or purchase a network compatible device in over 50 markets nationwide. Additional Boost Mobile and Boost Infinite markets, and DISH 5G network compatible devices will continue to become available throughout the year.

The DISH 5G Network is Now Available to Over 70 Percent of the U.S. Population

More than 240 million Americans now have access to DISH 5G broadband service; DISH satisfies June 14, 2023 FCC commitments LITTLETON, Colo., June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As of June 14, DISH...

about.dish.com

I am well aware of the fact that they said they made the 70% milestone.

If the 70% milestone was met 2 years ago then why where no Boost customers ever put on Dish's 5G network?

Why pay for thousands of towers, 5G radios, and fiber connections, and not put any customers on their network,

I would imagine Dish would be paying a fee to AT&T a wholesale rate for every gig of data their customers used when on the AT&T network. Why not try to save on costs and have your Boost customers use data on your network when they are in an area they provide service to.

Yes it was 70% coverage, but that would have also been 70% less wholesale data they would have had to pay AT&T for.

 

[NYDutch]

I am well aware of the fact that they said they made the 70% milestone.

If the 70% milestone was met 2 years ago then why where no Boost customers ever put on Dish's 5G network?

Why pay for thousands of towers, 5G radios, and fiber connections, and not put any customers on their network,

I would imagine Dish would be paying a fee to AT&T a wholesale rate for every gig of data their customers used when on the AT&T network. Why not try to save on costs and have your Boost customers use data on your network when they are in an area they provide service to.

Yes it was 70% coverage, but that would have also been 70% less wholesale data they would have had to pay AT&T for.

From Google's AI:

As of May 2025, only about 1 million of Boost Mobile's nearly 7 million wireless customers were using DISH's own 5G network, with most still relying on roaming agreements with AT&T and T-Mobile. DISH's 5G network coverage had expanded to reach 80% of the U.S. population by late 2024, but the migration of Boost customers to the new network is a slower process.

Google Search

 

[EarDemon]

Is Boost mobile any good? 15 dollars is a good deal. I have Verizon now and it works fine. I tried xfinity mobile but it had its problems. It would always try to connect to a WiFi networks when you were out and around town instead of a cellular network . I would sometimes have to turn off WiFi just to connect.

Of course it would try to connect to wifi, the more data you use on Xfinity Mobile, the more Comcast has to pay Verizon. The whole point of Comcast's and Charter's mobile offerings is to create sticky customers and tie them to their home broadband service to make it less enticing to switch to the competition. As an Xfinity or Spectrum Mobile customer you are using Verizon's network and you are costing them money but if there is open wifi, or one of their own wifi access points, your phone will hop and prioritize that to alleviate usage from the Verizon Wireless network. There is a reason Comcast and Charter are essentially giving away cell phone service.

Dish is operating in a similar fashion, they'll offer discounted Boost service to TV subscribers to make it more enticing for them not to jump ship.

Dish's native 5G network is going away, Boost is basically an AT&T MVNO. If you have decent AT&T service in your area, your Boost experience will match that. AT&T service will be improving nationwide over time with the 600 MHz and 3.45 GHz spectrum they bought from Dish. And while it will not be prioritized, I have seen my Boost line connect to AT&T band 14 when nothing else was available.

 

[EarDemon]

I am well aware of the fact that they said they made the 70% milestone.

If the 70% milestone was met 2 years ago then why where no Boost customers ever put on Dish's 5G network?

Why pay for thousands of towers, 5G radios, and fiber connections, and not put any customers on their network,

I would imagine Dish would be paying a fee to AT&T a wholesale rate for every gig of data their customers used when on the AT&T network. Why not try to save on costs and have your Boost customers use data on your network when they are in an area they provide service to.

Yes it was 70% coverage, but that would have also been 70% less wholesale data they would have had to pay AT&T for.

For new subscribers, Boost was mostly issuing their Rainbow SIM cards, which prioritized native coverage, with AT&T being the primary back up where there was no native coverage and T-Mobile access as a last resort. The Rainbow SIM was the most desired out of the four physical SIM cards they offered. So it's not like no body ever connected to the network, but relatively speaking, very few people did. From what has been posted online, native data speeds were impressive, but lagging behind the competition. When connected to a native site, there is a pretty good chance you had that whole tower to yourself or sharing access with just a handful of people so speeds should have always been very good, but it looks like tower sites had gigabit fiber backhaul, where as the big three have moved or are moving to multi gigabit. Had Dish actually deployed 3.45, it would have made no sense to be able to offer the type of speed that spectrum is capable of and have the backhaul limited to 1 Gbps.

 

[jsmit86]

I switched to Boost last week. New activations will primarily be on AT&T. That is what my esim is on. They still offer T-Mobile if you need it in in your area due to poor AT&T coverage. Based on my conversation with an Echostar executive, they are not putting new customers on the Boost network due to it being decommissioned.
The only difference I am noticing is that they are less than half the price of my former Consumer Cellular (AT&T MVNO) service. $45.42 a month, all in for 3 phones, Unlimited Talk, Text Data, with 30 gb per phone of high speed. We have been averaging about 10gb per phone, so that works fine for me.

 

[tanman]

I called Dish earlier last week to inquire about a Dish matter. As I was finishing up the CSR asked if Knew about the Boost offer. I was sort of curious as I'd been looking at going prepaid (been on Att postpaid no contract with my wife and my brother for ages-plan doesn't even exist anymore).$15 intrigued me-made spending the extra money for Dish more palatable.
So I got connected to a pleasant and knowledgeable young man who I'm pretty sure was US based.I wanted an ATT based company so my coverage would stay the same. Best of all he said the price would stay $15/ month even if we left Dish.That part I found unbelievable but I confirmed with another source.I also liked the part where they would send someone to my house to do the PITA stuff. I used to do that stuff for a living but that was 12 years ago .
So the tech just left.Came in a Dish van-he also does satellite.Pretty painless. I used the process to treat myself to a refurb Galaxy Z Flip from Amazon.