Newsletter
Dish has announced the company will loan its unused spectrum holdings with major US wireless carriers for the next 60 days. The major US carriers – Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile – would utilize some of Dish’s vast unused spectrum to temporarily boost their 4G LTE networks.
Dish had accumulated public airwaves over the years, citing plans to launch a mobile network. With the approval of the Sprint and T-Mobile merger deal Dish is poised to use these airwaves now.
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic spreads, most cities are on lock down. To try and slowdown the spread of COVID-19, people are staying indoors to maintain social distancing.
As more and more people start working from home, the demand for reliable connectivity for broadband, voice calls and data has skyrocketed. This is resulting in a major load on the telecom operator’s networks.
Dish loans unused spectrum to Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile
Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile can now bolster their 4G LTE networks using this unused spectrum from Dish. Each of these wireless carriers is receiving a chunk of Dish’s spectrum which is inline to their own spectrum holdings.
AT&T has received 20 MHz of Band 66 spectrum. Dish owns this spectrum nationwide. Wireless mobile carriers usually use Band 66Â for coverage in cities and suburbs.
With an additional 20 MHz of Band 66 spectrum, AT&T users can expect an increase up to 20 Mbps in 4G LTE speeds. In addition, Verizon has also received Band 66 spectrum from Dish and it’s subsidiaries. T-Mobile has gained the most from this temporary spectrum loan.
The FCC has permitted T-Mobile to temporarily use 600 MHz of spectrum. Dish, Comcast, NewLevel and others have loaned this spectrum to T-Mobile to be used over this 60 day period.
In the past, Dish has been criticized by the FCC for hoarding public airwaves without launching mobile services. Dish has also risked fines from the FCC for not building up their own network despite buying up large chunks of airwaves.
Carriers sign up for the FCC Keep America Connected Pledge
Amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, telecom wireless carriers have been shoring up their networks to ensure reliable connectivity. T-Mobile has upgraded customers to unlimited data plans starting March 13th, 2020. This change is applicable for all T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers as well.
The major US carriers viz. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile have signed the FCCÂ Keep America Connected Pledge. They were joined by broadband providers like Google Fiber, Comcast, Cox and CenturyLink.
These companies have pledged that they will not terminate services for customers who are unable to pay their bills for the next 60 days. Therefore, this pledge ensures that home customers and small businesses do not lose internet access and connectivity during this trying time.
