Dish Network calls on Dell for 5G network infrastructure

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A Dell Technologies logo is seen at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​Spain on February 28, 2018. REUTERS / Yves Herman

June 17 (Reuters) – Dish Network (DISH.O) will call on Dell Technologies Inc (DELL.N) for key parts of the new 5G network it is building in the United States, the companies said Thursday.

Dish has pledged to U.S. regulators to cover 70% of the nation’s population with its network by mid-2023 and will launch its first 5G service in Las Vegas, Nevada later this year.

Unlike existing carriers who are upgrading their networks to new 5G speeds and capabilities, Dish is building their network from the ground up.

It does this by relying on a technology called Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) which uses software to perform network functions on standardized computer hardware, rather than buying almost all network equipment from a vendor. telecommunications provider specific to Nokia (NOKIA.HE) or Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL).

The approach allows Dish to mix and match hardware and services from different vendors, and the company has previously announced deals with Fujitsu Ltd (6702.T) for cell tower equipment and cloud computing services. Amazon Web Services (AMZN.O).

As part of the deal, Dell will provide Dish with computer servers that will be at or near the bottom of cell phone towers to process data when referral to a central data center causes too much delay, such as helping future cars to communicate with city infrastructure.

“We can put the servers at the bottom of the tower, or we can centralize 10, 15, or 50 sites,” Marc Rouanne, executive vice president and network manager for Dish, said in an interview. “The beauty of this edge cloud is that the software can be placed where we want it.”

The deal gives Dell a flagship US customer for the technology. Earlier this week, Vodafone (VOD.L) said Dell would help it build Europe’s first 5G O-RAN network. Read more

“For us, it starts with an open, industry-standard infrastructure platform,” said Dennis Hoffman, head of Dell’s telecommunications systems business. “The priority is to be able to evolve on a global scale and to ensure stability.”

Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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