DISH Network has selected Ericsson to provide the radio access and core network for its nationwide Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, scheduled to be completed in March 2020. This agreement makes Ericsson the first wireless vendor publicly announced for DISH’s NB-IoT deployment.
Earlier in 2018, Ericsson applied its global wireless and radio expertise to finalize the initial radio frequency (RF) design for DISH’s nationwide NB-IoT deployment.
Both companies have validated NB-IoT data transmissions based on 3GPP standards, including extended-range connections—demonstrating coverage up to 100 km from a base station, a first for such range in the United States.
Tom Cullen, DISH executive vice president of corporate development, said that in addition to planning and deployment, Ericsson will play a key role in certifying that the network meets DISH’s coverage specifications.
DISH’s NB-IoT network will use Ericsson Radio System radios that are NR-capable. Ericsson has also installed, commissioned and completed interoperability testing of its Cloud Core network for the deployment.
Ericsson’s work on NB-IoT follows broader initiatives in IoT and 5G. In September, Ericsson and Sprint announced a global partnership to build a distributed, virtualized core network dedicated to IoT, paired with an IoT operating system designed to optimize device data flows and enable actionable intelligence at the network edge. Ericsson has also collaborated with operators such as Swisscom to complete end-to-end, multi-vendor 5G NR tests in Europe.
In related developments, Telstra and Ericsson demonstrated significant NB-IoT range improvements through software upgrades, extending the practical 3GPP-based range from roughly 40 km to around 100 km without changes to existing NB-IoT hardware. That enhancement built on Telstra’s position as a leading NB-IoT and Cat M1 provider in Australia and expanded coverage across approximately 3.5 million square kilometres, improving accessibility and reliability for IoT services.
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