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Dish Network's nationwide satellite broadband service could be ready to launch soon
While the various strands of Dish Network's "Seinfeld strategy" have yet to come together officially, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal are reporting it could be ready launch satellite-based high speed data services nationally as soon as September or October. This would be separate from the service based on ViaSat's Exede that's available in some areas, and Bloomberg's sources say it could accommodate up to 2 million customers right away through a satellite Echostar launched in June, although more satellites may be needed to add more customers. Other than hooking up data connections for customers in rural areas, it would let Dish compete directly with data / TV bundles offered by wired pay-TV providers. Of course, this is all dependent on a favorable ruling by the FCC on its technology -- you can just ask LightSquared what happens if that doesn't work out.
Dish Network surfaces as possible Plan B for T-Mobile if AT&T merger falls through
Dish Network had reportedly been considered a potential candidate to receive divested T-Mobile assets from AT&T if it couldn't secure initial approval of its acquisition from the government. Dish, however, has publicly opposed the acquisition -- and now it's clear that there were some ulterior motives in wanting to see the merger fall through, because Bloomberg reported this morning that the satellite provider wants to merge its spectrum assets with T-Mobile if things don't go so rosy in the acquisition. According to CEO Joseph Clayton: We want to... create a national wireless network, video, voice and data. We've got expertise in satellite TV, and we will in satellite broadband. The voice part, we'll need some help with. A partnership with T-Mobile would ideally help both companies: it would help Dish get one step closer to its goal of a wireless network that bundles smartphones, tablets and satellite under the same umbrella, and would cast a bright light on T-Mobile's questionable future. How does "Ollo" with LTE-Advanced on Magenta sound?
Dish Network files 'Ollo' trademark for planned LTE-Advanced service, GPS takes a deep breath
Dish just finished firing off a 67-page letter to the FCC petitioning for the right to use its 2GHz spectrum for LTE-Advanced. Now, two recently filed trademark applications are tipping us off to a potential name for the satellite operator's planned 4G network, known as "Ollo." According to the company's filings, this brand would encompass both future equipment and services, huddling smartphones, tablets and a triple play of services under the same umbrella. The hybridized network still has significant hurdles to overcome before it gets a greenlight -- namely, a proven lack of LightSquared-like GPS interference. But, it appears the company's confident its newly acquired holdings will pass Go, delivering heretofore unseen downlink / uplink speeds to subscribers. As ever, we'll keep a close watch on this as it develops.
