DISH Network has launched its long-awaited 5G network in Las Vegas, Nevada. At launch, access is available via the Motorola Edge+ smartphone, with an unlimited monthly voice/text/data subscription priced at USD30. While DISH has trademarked multiple brands, including ‘Smart 5G’ – and also owns a number of MVNOs – the 5G service has gone live under the ‘Project Genesis’ name, which was first unveiled back in June 2021.
Going forward, DISH has disclosed 113 other cities in 22 states that it is aiming to expand to in due course. These include major markets such as Dallas, Nashville, Kansas City and Orlando. By the long-standing June 2022 deadline set out by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), meanwhile, DISH says its 5G service will be live in 120 markets across the country.
TeleGeography notes that DISH seeks to fill the void created by the April 2020 takeover of Sprint by T-Mobile US. The company has been an enthusiastic participant in multiple FCC auctions since 2014 and in July 2019 DISH agreed a USD5 billion deal to acquire a combination of pre-paid businesses and 800MHz spectrum assets from Sprint to help push through the aforementioned Sprint-T-Mobile tie-up.