Dish Network has started signing up potential customers for its new 5G network. Under the name Project Gene5is, the company launched a website where people can leave their details and be contacted when service is available in their area.
The only text on the site is "A new 5G network built to release American innovation. Help us democratize wireless access and create the 5G network of the future."
Dish's plans to build a mobile network from scratch have been several years in the making. They accelerated last year when it acquired key assets and customers from T-Mobile US, as part of the latter's takeover of Sprint, as well as a buying more spectrum in a FCC auction. The company said recently that it plans to launch in a first city, Las Vegas, by the end of 2021.
The Federal Communications Commission has given Dish until mid-2023 to meet build-out requirements under its spectrum licences. Dish will rely on roaming with T-Mobile until its nationwide network is in place. It has named a number of suppliers in the past year, focusing on new open RAN systems and a cloud-native architecture.
