Dish Teases Project Genesis – Claims To Be “The First True 5G Network”

Dish Network this week began reaching out to key "Influencers" and industry contacts to encourage people to sign up to be the first to try Dish's upcoming "Project Genesis" 5G network.

Dish is claiming that Genesis will be "The First True 5G Network" - but is offering up zero additional information about what Genesis is, where it will be launching, and when.

So - just what is Dish up to?

Does Dish really have what it takes to join AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in providing a nationwide cellular network?

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Dish Destined to Become Fourth Nationwide Carrier

When Sprint and T-Mobile were seeking government approval (our news story) to merge in 2019, the Department of Justice was concerned about a future with only three competitive nationwide cellular carriers, instead of the traditional four.

To satisfy these concerns - T-Mobile agreed to sell Dish some key cellular spectrum (Band 26), and granted Dish roaming rights onto T-Mobile's network for seven years so that Dish would have time to get its own network off the ground.

And to get things jump-started - Dish also purchased all of Sprint's prepaid customers, in particular the Boost Mobile subsidiary.

In addition to this government-mediated T-Mobile deal, Dish has been acquiring cellular spectrum for years - and actually already controls a substantial amount of airwaves nationwide that it hasn't done anything with to date.

To meet federally mandated buildout deadlines, Dish’s new 5G network needs to cover 20% of the U.S. population by June 2022, and 70% by June 2023.

The clock is ticking - and Dish needs to launch something soon.

What Is Project Genesis?

Dish has shared very few details on its upcoming 5G network other than the name and a newly launched teaser website:

Project Genesis

But the website provides no actual details at all.

All the Genesis website does is collect zip codes, email addresses, and phone numbers - promising to send people who sign up information at some point in the future.

A Dish PR spokesperson reached out to us and provided this vague statement:

"We aren't doing a traditional press release, but will be sharing info directly to influencers like you. You'll also be able to test it out before anyone else.

I can't share any more information...yet! But if you are signed up you will get information first. I can tell you that we are collecting zips because we are rolling out in select areas first."

They refused to provide any further details.

But there are a few things publicly known about Dish's 5G ambitions so far....

5G - Starting from Scratch

The most interesting thing about Dish's new network is that it will be the first completely standalone 5G network, without any underlying 4G network to build upon.

This will make for a more truly "next generation" 5G network than the legacy carriers have built, which often combine 4G and 5G signals behind the scenes.

And indeed - by running 5G radios in "standalone" mode with 4G disabled, lower latencies and more efficient usage of the airwaves should be possible.

But Dish isn't the only carrier enabling standalone 5G - T-Mobile began turning this feature on in some locations last August (our news story), and Verizon and AT&T will eventually be embracing standalone 5G too. 

It remains to be seen if Dish really can deliver any true advantages by focusing exclusively on 5G without any legacy baggage.

And speaking of legacy baggage - Dish will need to come up with a migration path for its 8.8 million Boost customers, all of who are roaming on T-Mobile or Sprint's legacy network right now. To take advantage of Genesis, all of those customers will need to be moved to upgraded hardware.

Genesis: When & Where?

Dish has shared with investors that it plans to launch to consumers in Las Vegas first before the end of 2021, and that Colorado (where Dish is headquartered) would be among the first ten states.

But what other areas will come, and when, remain unannounced.

And it is also known that Dish will be using the following 5G cellular bands: 

n26, n29, n48, n66, n70, n71

Other than n66 (also used by Verizon) and n71 (used by T-Mobile), these are mostly oddball 5G bands that no other carrier in the United States is using - and that no currently announced cellular devices support.

This means that Dish may have limited hardware that ultimately supports its network.

So Is Genesis Interesting?

Dish has a long road ahead of it to launch a competitive nationwide 5G network, and it is not at all clear that it will be able to meet the deadlines for providing nationwide coverage.

But - knowing that it is starting so far behind - Dish may try to compete with aggressively lower prices or more appealing data plans.

It is way too early to tell what will be coming once Genesis officially debuts - but we will be watching Genesis closely to see if it evolves to be at all interesting.

More competition is almost always a good thing for consumers, after all.

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