CV_JulAug_21_3

D ISH Network recently selected Amazon Web Service (AWS) as its preferred cloud provider and will construct its 5G network on AWS, part of a strategic collaboration agreement under which the companies will work to transform how organizations and customers order and consume 5G services or create their own private 5G networks, said the companies. DISH is deploying the first standalone, cloud-based 5G Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) in the United States, beginning with Las Vegas this year. DISH will connect all its hardware and network management resources through AWS. Given this marks the first time a 5G network will be run in the cloud, DISH believes it will achieve agile and cost- effective operations while it seeks to redefine the practical applications of 5G. As DISH deploys its network, the compa- ny is partnering exclusively with vendors offering cloud-native technology, bringing them together on AWS to provide DISH customers greater flexibility and control of their 5G-enabled solutions. DISH will leverage AWS’s infra- structure 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 archi- tecture that directs traffic flow within the network. AWS will power DISH’s operation and business support systems (OSS and BSS) that will enable the company to provision and operate its customers’ 5G workloads and monetize its network. By building its network on AWS, DISH said it is simplifying the process for developers to create 5G applications. DISH developers and customers, as well as the AWS developer community, will be able to create innovative 5G solutions across a variety of industries by leverag- ing standardized APIs to engage with data on DISH network attributes such as user equipment latency, bit rate, quality of service and equipment location. By Bruce Christian DISH, AWS 20 CHANNEL V ISION | July - August 2021 Collaboration to Reinvent 5G Connectivity MOBILE & WIRELESS