Diversifying Dish
The transition to wireless operator comes as the subscriber base of Dish’s satellite TV business continues to shrink. The company’s streaming service – Sling TV – also saw a slight drop in subscribers in early 2022. Dish is not alone in experiencing this decline, with the share of households in the United States with a pay TV subscription falling significantly from 2015 to 2021. By establishing a wireless business, Dish gain exposure to the growing market of 5G services and reduces the dependence on pay TV.While Dish’s early wireless activities have been successful, a decision by T-Mobile US to shut down their 2G and 3G (CDMA) service earlier than expected has thrown a spanner in the works. Many Boost Mobile customers used handsets that rely on this technology, and the company is now promoting targeted schemes to provide consumers with wireless devices compatible with modern networks. However, the shortage of wireless devices poses a challenge to this plan.
