DISH Network expects to activate its 5G network in its first market in the third quarter of 2021, CEO Charlie Ergen has informed investors. Speaking during the company’s 4Q20 conference call, Ergen said that the rollout location would be initially be used for beta testing. While he stopped short of naming the city in question, he indicated that it would be a large ‘NFL city’. The chief executive noted: ‘By the end of the third quarter, you’ll be able to take a phone and see if we work or not and see all of the problems – and we’ll have them for sure – and then see if we can fix them.’
TeleGeography notes that DISH will ultimately build a 5G network that will comprise 15,000 cell sites and cover 70% of the US population by June 2023 and has also committed to deploy a core network and infrastructure covering 20% of the population by 14 June 2022.