The Verge - Dish tries to move beyond satellite, break into the ISP and wireless markets

Citing security concerns, Dish claims it's a better buyer for Sprint than Japanese carrier SoftBank

2013-04-18T18:57:54Z

Sprint is currently being courted by two different companies — Japanese carrier SoftBank is still hoping its $20.1 billion bid will clear on July 1st, but satellite TV provider Dish is now attempting a $25.5 billion takeover of the US's third-largest wireless carrier. Now, according to a just-released FCC filing, Dish is getting more aggressive about stopping the SoftBank / Sprint deal from going forward. Dish has asked US regulators to hold their review of the SoftBank deal on the grounds that a Sprint / Dish deal would be better for the country from a national security standpoint. The government was already looking into the SoftBank deal because of concerns about the Japanese carrier using Huawei equipment, which the US believes is a...

Dish Network attempts $25.5 billion Sprint merger

2013-04-15T10:18:59Z

Dish Network has launched a $25.5 billion takeover bid that would see it take control of Sprint. Japanese carrier SoftBank is currently in the process of purchasing Sprint, but Dish's offer could derail the takeover. Today's announcement represents a proposal, rather than a legally-binding offer, but The Wall Street Journal says the company is confident it can raise the funds necessary for such a large purchase. Under the conditions of the bid, Dish's shareholders would gain full control over the merged company.

Although cellular networking is new to Dish, the company has been making moves to get involved in the field. After expressing an interest in partnering with T-Mobile last year, it battled with Sprint for control of Clearwire in...

Clearwire to take $80 million in financing from Sprint, hampering odds of Dish buyout

2013-02-27T14:04:00Z

Clearwire plans to take $80 million in financing from Sprint, the first time the company has pulled from an $800 million arrangement between the two. The announcement confirms a report from The Wall Street Journal yesterday, with the money coming in the form of notes that convert into stock, a tactic that could eventually increase Sprint's stake in Clearwire — even as the carrier attempts to buy the company's remaining shares outright. That plan has been delayed some thanks to Dish Network, which made a surprise bid to the tune of $5.15 billion last month, effectively doubling Sprint's $2.2 billion offer.

However, Dish has publicly stated that it would withdraw its bid should Clearwire dip into the Sprint financing agreement. The...

Dish's interest in Clearwire is making it hard for Sprint to close the deal

2013-02-01T15:41:04Z

Clearwire announced on Friday that it will not be taking a financing offer from Sprint (worth up to $800 million) because it is still seriously considering Dish's surprise bid from earlier this month, which was far more money than Sprint put on the table. If Clearwire were to take Sprint's financing offer, Dish has said that it would retract its bid for the company, which at $5.15 billion is far more than the $2.2 billion that Sprint and its parent company Softbank have offered to buy out the remaining shares of Clearwire.

For all intents and purposes, it would make sense for Clearwire to just accept Sprint's offer and move on; as it is, Sprint already owns a significant chunk of the company and has been a partner with Clearwire for a...

Google building secret wireless network, says it involves 'highly competitive consumer electronics'

2013-01-24T03:55:15Z

Rumors have been swirling for months that Google has big wireless plans, possibly including a partnership with Dish, which hasn't been shy about telegraphing its intentions to build a cellular LTE network. Now, the pieces may be falling into place: Google is planning to build a secret wireless network on its Mountain View campus.

According to FCC filings spotted by wireless engineer Steven Crowley, it's a pretty hefty test: Google says it will use up to 50 base stations and 200 "user devices" (perhaps Android smartphones?) during the experimental period. Intriguingly, the temporary wireless network will operate in two narrow slivers of the 2.5GHz frequency band, which just so happens to be the territory of Clearwire — the same...

Dish makes surprise bid to buy Clearwire out from under Sprint

2013-01-08T23:45:39Z

The drama surrounding Sprint's LTE roadmap has taken yet another turn, as Dish has made an unsolicited bid to buy Clearwire for $5.15 billion. Clearwire, of course, had already agreed to sell itself to Sprint — the half that Sprint didn't already own, that is — for around $2.2 billion. Sprint was only willing to part with that cash after it was acquired by Japanese carrier SoftBank. The corporate twists and turns have been an ongoing story and Dish's offer is a surprise — although the satellite television company has been expressing strong interest in wireless for some time.

Dish confirmed that it made the offer, Clearwire confirmed that it is considering the offer, and Sprint confirmed that it's none to happy to see Dish try to...

Dish gains FCC approval to build its own LTE network

2012-12-12T09:53:11Z

The FCC has finally approved Dish Network’s plans to build out an LTE network using its available wireless spectrum. The satellite company had been lobbying to use its spectrum for some time, and it's now free to do so after extensive negotiations on the terms of the approval. Those included how many potential customers the network would reach, as well as the penalties that Dish would face if it failed to meet its deadlines. Dish is naturally pleased with the development, saying in a statement that the next move for the company will be to "consider its strategic options and the optimal approach to put this spectrum to use for the benefit of consumers."

Bloomberg has already pointed to possible plans for the company, saying that Dish...

Sprint reportedly courting Dish to provide the network for proposed mobile phone service

2012-12-07T20:52:00Z

Yesterday, we heard a rumor that Dish was in talks with Blockbuster to sell mobile phones at the movie chain's remaining retail stores, and now Bloomberg is reporting that Sprint has approached Dish about a partnership to get the satellite provider into the cell phone game. Sprint's network would power this rumored service, making Dish just the latest MVNO to run on Sprint's network — Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile are just two of several who currently utilize Sprint's spectrum to run their services.

In exchange for running its proposed service on Sprint's network, Dish would give Sprint access to its unused mobile airwaves. Sprint would also either share revenue from customers signing up for Dish wireless service, or Dish could just...