Samsung Networks has announced that it has delivered an initial shipment of 24,000 Open RAN-compliant 5G radios to DISH Networks to launch a nationwide 5G network in the US. The South Korean firm is also supplying 5G vRAN software solutions for DISH's 5G network in the country.
The two companies announced their multi-year agreement in May 2022, and since then, Samsung Networks has been providing 5G O-RAN radios to DISH to expand its network infrastructure. The two companies have worked for nearly a year in infrastructure installation, testing, and taking those sites live. Samsung offered vDU (Virtualized Distributed Unit), vCU (Virtualized Central Unit), and Open RAN-compliant 5G radios. The company also made custom dual-band and tri-band Open RAN-compatible 5G radios specific to DISH's requirements.
DISH Wireless and Samsung Networks will continue working together soon to spread the 5G network across the US. The 5G network will offer fast and reliable internet access to millions of US consumers.
Marc Rouanne, EVP and Chief Network Officer, DISH Wireless, said, “Samsung is a key player in the DISH Wireless Open RAN ecosystem, created in collaboration with additional Open RAN leaders like Dell, VMware, AWS, and others. Samsung's 5G vRAN solutions and our shared innovation process allow DISH Wireless to continue the DISH 5G multi-vendor, open and interoperable cloud-native network buildout as we progress to covering 70 percent of the U.S. population.“
