DISH Network and Crown Castle have announced a long-term agreement through which Crown Castle will lease space on up to 20,000 communication towers to the satellite operator-turned-cellco. As part of the agreement, DISH will receive certain fibre transport services and also have the option to utilise Crown Castle for pre-construction services. The agreement encompasses leases on towers located nationwide, helping DISH facilitate its 5G network buildout.
TeleGeography notes that DISH has promised to build a 5G network that will comprise 15,000 cell sites and cover 70% of the US population by June 2023, also committing to deploy a core network and infrastructure covering 20% of the population by 14 June 2022. To date, the market newcomer has inked 5G supply deals with a number of vendors, including Nokia, Qualcomm, Fujitsu, Altiostar and VMware. The deal with Crown Castle represents the first infrastructure partnership DISH has announced, however.