DISH's 5G build will see it use Equinix's International Business Exchange™(IBX®) due to the proximity of facilities with "large population centres", according to Jeff McSchooler, EVP of wireless network operations at DISH.
He added: "DISH is taking the lead in delivering on the promise of 5G in the U.S., and our partnership with Equinix will enable us to secure critical interconnections for a nationwide 5G network.
"With proximity to large population centres, as well as network and cloud density, Equinix is the right partner to connect our cloud-native 5G network."
The two said that by connecting directly to strategic partners and end users, "DISH will leverage Equinix's footprint to help bring 5G to cities nationwide".
Equinix provides customers with access to more than 1,800 networks and over 2,900 cloud, IT, and system integrator services globally. It recently opened a 5G and Edge Technology Development Center which includes a fully operational, non-standalone 5G network from Nokia to test and validate various 5G services and use cases.
"5G will have a transformative impact on way the world connects and does business, but it requires a modern, connected underlying infrastructure at the edge," said Jon Lin, President of Americas, Equinix. "DISH will leverage our extensive ecosystem of network partners and cloud providers to deliver a fast, powerful 5G network to communities across the United States."
A few days ahead of this announcing, DISH said it would be working with Cisco on a go-to-market partnership that will see it deliver "next-level 5G enterprise services".
On this, Cisco chairman and CEO, Chuck Robbins, said: "Cisco and DISH are disrupting the mobile and enterprise markets by launching cloud-powered 5G services in record time through innovative technologies, fostering new application development and improving the overall customer experience.
“Together, we look forward to helping businesses across industries transform their networks to support the evolution of hybrid work models, the transition to Network as a Service (NaaS) offers, and the expansion into new markets including IoT.”
