DISH Wireless Launches Virtual Open RAN 5G Network with Samsung

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Feb 22, 2023, 13:00 ET

Samsung delivers an initial shipment of 24,000 5G radios, and the first Samsung-virtualized RAN-supported sites go live across the DISH Open RAN cloud-based 5G network

SEOUL, Korea and LITTLETON, Colo., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Electronics and DISH Wireless (NYSE: DISH) launched Samsung-supported sites for the DISH 5G network, marking the beginning of Samsung's role in the operator's nation-wide rollout. With Samsung supplying an initial shipment of 24,000 Open RAN-compliant radios and 5G virtualized RAN (vRAN) software solutions, the companies are accelerating the DISH network deployment across the U.S., which is poised to provide reliable and fast nationwide coverage to DISH Wireless network users.

"Samsung is a key player in the DISH Open RAN ecosystem, created in collaboration with additional Open RAN leaders like Dell, VMware, AWS and others," said Marc Rouanne, EVP and Chief Network Officer, DISH Wireless. "Samsung's 5G vRAN solutions and our shared innovation process allow DISH Wireless to continue the DISH 5G multi-vendor, open and interoperable cloud-native network buildout, as we progress to covering 70 percent of the U.S. population."

Since the announcement of their multi-year agreement in May 2022, DISH Wireless and Samsung advanced their collaboration—progressing from field tests to successfully activating the first live Samsung sites within the DISH 5G network. For this rollout, Samsung provided its comprehensive portfolio of 5G solutions, including its virtualized distributed unit (vDU), virtualized central unit (vCU) and Open RAN-compliant 5G radios, which support the DISH spectrum bands. Samsung also built new dual-band and tri-band Open RAN-compliant radios specific for this deployment.

"DISH Wireless is an innovator in mobile technologies and we are thrilled to reach new heights of connectivity together, validating the immense potential that virtualization and openness can bring to the industry," said Junehee Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Sales & Marketing, Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. "This milestone advances the wide-scale deployment of Samsung's vRAN in the U.S. and we look forward to continuing our work with DISH Wireless to accelerate 5G expansion and lead the delivery of next-generation connectivity across the country."

DISH Wireless and Samsung will continue to innovate within the DISH Open RAN architecture to provide their customers with reliable fast service and set the stage for DISH Wireless to offer enterprises a broad range of new services and enhanced capabilities.

[1] 24,000 delivered as of 12/31/2022

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA), is a leader in mobile technologies, consumer electronics, home appliances and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today's technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products and services across mobile devices, connected appliances, home entertainment, 5G networks and digital solutions. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

About DISH Wireless
DISH Wireless, a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation, is changing the way the world communicates with America's First Smart Network™. In 2020, the company became a nationwide U.S. wireless carrier through the acquisition of Boost Mobile. DISH continues to innovate in wireless, building the nation's first virtualized, O-RAN 5G broadband network, and is inclusive of the Boost Infinite, Boost Mobile and Gen Mobile wireless brands. DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) is a Fortune 200 company.

SOURCE DISH Network Corporation