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Weekend poll: Would you switch to Dish's new 5G network?
Whenever it eventually arrives in your area
Back in 2019, the T-Mobile and Sprint merger all came down to one surprise stipulation from the government. To prevent competition from drying up with the disappearance of a fourth carrier, Dish Network — the satellite TV brand — would spin up a new brand, first as an MVNO on T-Mobile, then finally on its own network. This week, as Dish came right up to another FCC deadline, the company launched 5G service for 20% of the nation, with more than 120 cities selected following a pilot program in Las Vegas.
The last year or so has been rough for Dish Network Corp. The company bled subscribers with an overall revenue loss in the billions, and its 5G rollout stalled due to a variety of difficulties. But Dish plans to have some kind of basic wireless service in place by the second quarter of 2022 no matter what.
Nokia set for major US expansion with five new budget phones and two new wireless partners
HMD Global announces new partnerships with Dish Wireless and Consumer Cellular
HMD Global's news for the doomed CES 2022 show concerns what is its biggest US expansion since it started making Nokia-branded phones back in 2016. Not only is the Finnish company releasing five brand-new smartphones — all budget devices under $250 — but it's also announcing two major new wireless partnerships with Dish and Consumer Cellular. These phones may not be the most exciting products around, but the intent is clear. HMD sees an opportunity to grow its US business and it's going all out in 2022.
Dish buys Republic Wireless, continuing its carrier shopping spree
It's the third MVNO the company has purchased in the last year
Dish, the parent company of Dish Network, Sling TV, and both Boost Mobile and Ting as of last year, is still very much in the M&A mood. It's just purchased Republic Wireless, yet another Mobile Virtual Network Operator. News of the acquisition was posted to Republic's forums by CEO Chris Chuang.
Dish takes over Boost Mobile, introduces new plan options
Latest: Details on shrinking payments plan, new $35 offer
Dish has officially completed the acquisition of the merged T-Mobile's mandated divestiture of its various prepaid carriers — now all under the Boost Mobile umbrella — valued at $1.4 billion. With new ownership comes immediate changes such as a modified logo and new rate plans effective tomorrow.
The main argument against T-Mobile and Sprint's proposed merger has been the possibility of reduced competition; after all, Canada only has three major carriers, and that hasn't worked out great for the country. The U.S. Justice Department will reportedly only approve the merger if the combined company will sell off enough wireless spectrum for a new independent carrier to function, and the latest company to show interest is Dish Network.
Sling TV offers a compelling value for cord cutters who want to stream cable television channels without paying the hefty prices. One of its weaknesses was its all-live setup, which it addressed with the Cloud DVR "First Look" program. Initially limited to Fire devices, the company has now expanded access to the service to Android and Roku players.
Boxes that go under your TV and offer access to Netflix or other streaming services or over-the-air TV channels are all the rage at the moment, with things like Roku and NVIDIA Shield selling well. A new competitor has entered the area, as AirTV lays its claim to be under your television.
After introducing the service just a couple of days ago, you can now download Sling International in the Play Store. This service takes the mantle from DishWorld, by which I mean it is pretty much DishWorld with a new name. DISH and Sling are owned by the same parent company, so they are using the recent good press for Sling TV and trying to bring that positivity over to their international offerings. If you've been using the DishWorld app, you will get an update telling you not to use that app anymore.
The base Sling TV package already provides a pretty decent value. For $20, subscribers get access to more than 20 channels over the Internet. More are available through add-on packages.
DISH Network has updated their official app with a variety of improvements and new features, making it better both as a streaming video player and as an account management console. Probably the best addition in this update is the ability to support multiple profiles for a single subscriber account, a la Netflix. Each profile will have its own favorites list and recommendations, making family sharing a lot smoother.
I don't think anyone has ever accused cable companies of having the best aesthetic sensibilities, but DISH Network's former Android streaming app was a particularly good example of how not to do it. It was a lazy port of the iPhone version, and it showed, covering the basic streaming and scheduling with the bare minimum of effort. The new version... well, I'd be lying if I said it was great, but at least it gets a facelift and a proper tablet interface.
SoftBank Raises Bid For Sprint To Ward Off Dish Network: $21.6 Billion For 78% Stake In Wireless Carrier
Oh, what a tangled web gigantic mega-corps weave. Japanese telecom SoftBank wants to get its hands on an American wireless carrier, come Hell or high water,
Oh, what a tangled web gigantic mega-corps weave. Japanese telecom SoftBank wants to get its hands on an American wireless carrier, come Hell or high water, and they've just outbid Dish Network to do so. According to Reuters, Softbank has upped its bid from October of last year to $21.6 billion USD for 78% control of Sprint, topping its previous commitment of $20 billion for 70%. Dish Network is currently offering $25.5 billion in a mix of cash and stock for an outright sale, about 10% less on a share-by-share basis.
DISH Network's Anywhere App Updated To Version 2, Adds On Demand Streaming And Dedicated Tablet UI
DISH Network may be hard at work trying to woo Sprint away from the clutches of SoftBank, but in the meantime, they've got a few million TV customers to
DISH Network may be hard at work trying to woo Sprint away from the clutches of SoftBank, but in the meantime, they've got a few million TV customers to satisfy. The DISH Anywhere app left a lot to be desired when it debuted, but version 2 adds much-needed features like access to the company's growing library of on-demand content. Of course, most of the on-demand content comes from HBO, Cinemax and the like, and if you're paying for them, you've already got access to the (usually better) dedicated streaming apps.