Dish and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have formed a strategic collaboration which will see Dish leverage AWS infrastructure and services to build a cloud-based, 5G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) that delivers consistent, cost-effective performance from core to the edge. The companies will work together to transform how organisations and customers, including AWS and Amazon, order and consume 5G services or create their own private 5G networks. Las Vegas will be first live city in the US nationwide network deployment.
Dish will use AWS Outposts and AWS Local Zones to build its network in the cloud. This will enable customers to apply the breadth and depth of AWS capabilities to innovate low-latency 5G applications and services for a wide range of industries.
“Our approach will revolutionise wireless connectivity.”
Charlie Ergen, Dish.
“Through this collaboration with AWS, we will operate not just as a communications services provider, but as a digital services provider harnessing the combined power of 5G connectivity and the cloud. Together, we will enable our customers to take full advantage of the potential of 5G. Our approach will revolutionise wireless connectivity by giving customers the ability to customise and scale their network experience on-demand,” said Charlie Ergen, Dish co-founder and chairman. “As a new carrier, leveraging AWS and its extensive network of partners enables us to differentiate ourselves by operating our 5G network with a high degree of automation, utilising the talent of AWS-trained developers and helping our customers bring new 5G applications to market faster than ever before.”
5G network in the cloud
Las Vegas is the first state Dish will deploy the first standalone, cloud-based 5G Open Radio Access Network in the US. Dish will connect all of its hardware and network management resources through the world’s leading cloud to enable secure, rapid scaling and innovation as well as on-demand responsiveness to customers’ wireless needs.
Dish will leverage AWS’s infrastructure and breadth of services to deploy a cloud-native 5G network that incorporates O-RAN – the antennas and base stations that link phones and other wireless devices to the network – and the 5G Core – the logical architecture that directs traffic flow within the network. AWS will also power Dish’s fully automated operation and business support systems, that will enable the company to provision and operate its customers’ 5G workloads and monetise its network.
Happily, in building its network on AWS, Dish is also simplifying the process for developers to create new 5G applications. The new 5G technology will allow Dish developers and customers, as well as the AWS developer community, to create innovative 5G solutions across a variety of industries by leveraging standardised application programming interfaces. This will allow them to engage with data on Dish network attributes such as user equipment latency, bit rate, quality of service, and equipment location.
In turn, developers can then leverage AWS services and partner capabilities in machine learning, analytics, security, and more to create responsive solutions that use that data. For example, they could orchestrate the movements of a robot at a disaster site, or offer low-latency augmented reality gaming experiences optimised for the user’s device.
Virtualised 5G network
“New technologies that will transform factories, workplaces, entertainment, and transportation in ways people have only dreamed.”
Andy Jassy, Amazon Web Services, Inc.
“DISH’s cloud-native and truly virtualised 5G network is a clear example of how AWS customers can use our proven infrastructure and unparalleled portfolio of services to reinvent industries,” said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Inc. “This collaboration means Dish and its customers can bring new consumer- and enterprise-centric services to the market as quickly as they’re created to deliver on the promise of 5G. Together, we’re opening the door to new technologies that will transform factories, workplaces, entertainment, and transportation in ways people have only dreamed.”
In a press statement, Dish says that given this marks the first time that a 5G network will be run in the cloud, the network will achieve agile and cost-effective operations while seeking to redefine the practical applications of 5G. Indeed, as Dish deploys its network, the company is partnering exclusively with vendors offering cloud-native technology, bringing them together on AWS to provide their customers greater flexibility and control of their 5G-enabled solutions.
- Why 5G small cells are vital for mmWave 5G
- Get updates on the hottest 5G stocks
- We reveal the latest 5G use cases
- Discover the truth behind 5G dangers
- 5G towers: everything you need to know
