Dish makes deals with Equinix, Cisco to build out 5G network | ZDNet

This week, Dish Network inked new deals with partners who will help the satellite TV provider build out its cloud-native 5G network. Dish is turning to Equinix for digital infrastructure services, the companies announced Thursday. Earlier in the week, Dish announced it’s partnering with Cisco to offer 5G enterprise services. 

After spending tens of billions on the wireless spectrum after more than a decade, Dish is poised to launch its 5G network. The company began a 5G pilot program in Las Vegas earlier this month and is slated to cover 70% of the US by June 2023. Dish is already working with several other major partners to make it happen, like Amazon Web Services, Qualcomm and IBM. 

The new Equinix partnership will give Dish access to the critical interconnection infrastructure in Equinix’s International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers across the US. Tapping Equinix’s vast footprint will help Dish launch its network nationwide. 

Meanwhile, Cisco is providing a range of cloud networking and automation software for the Dish 5G network. The two companies are co-innovating a virtual routing implementation, and Cisco is helping to plan the delivery of network slicing. Cisco is also helping Dish build out a DevOps team to bring new services to market quickly. 

“DISH has compiled an outstanding roster of partners in the wireless industry, and Cisco is a key player helping us launch a customizable, automated, 5G network optimized for enterprise performance,” Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said in a statement. “Working with Cisco is central to achieving our goal of delivering a best-in-class experience for enterprises.”