Dish's Boost Wireless expands its 5G U.S. footprint

Dish's Boost Wireless has announced that it added service to 12 more cities raising the total to 89 markets. Boost Wireless now covers 140 million Americans with its coverage. Boost Mobile is the unit's pre-paid service where pricing starts at $15 per month, and Boost Infinite is the postpaid service where wireless connectivity starts at $25 per month; both are using voice over new radio (VoNR) technology which relies on only 5G signals making it a standalone 5G network that has never been used for 4G. 

Using a 5G radio access network (RAN) with a 5G core, a standalone 5G network delivers higher speeds, more capacity, low latency, and greater reliability. Phones that support the Boost Wireless network include the iPhone 15 series, the Samsung A23 5G, the Motorola edge+ 2022 and 2023, the Moto G Stylus 2022 and 2023, the Moto G 5G 2022 and 2023, the Motorola Razr, and Dish's own Celero 5G+ which  is a Boost exclusive.

The new cities adding Boost Wireless service are Billings MT; Cincinnati; Columbia, SC; Denver; Philadelphia, Fayetteville, NC; Jacksonville, FL; Minneapolis; Portland, OR; Shreveport, Tucson and Washington, DC. The addition of these cities led John Swieringa, president of technology and COO, Dish Wireless, to make a statement.

"Our network covers over 73 percent of the U.S. population with broadband, and we haven't stopped there," Swieringa said. "The Boost Wireless Network is the largest commercial deployment of 5G voice, or VoNR, in the world. It already reaches more than 140 million Americans in over 85 markets. The continued rollout of VoNR markets every month allows us to compete at scale, as the nation’s 4th wireless carrier. We are delivering a best-in-class experience to ensure members enjoy the very best coverage coast-to-coast."

In areas of the country where Dish's own network is not yet running, the company partners with AT&T and T-Mobile to deliver 5G service to subscribers. As Dish continues to build out its standalone 5G network, it moves traffic to the network.

As part of the deal it made with the FCC to replace Sprint as the nation's fourth largest carrier, Dish agreed to cover 70% of the U.S. with 5G signals by this past June, a condition that it has met. The agreement Dish made with the FCC allowed the regulatory agency to approve T-Mobile's $26 billion acquisition of Sprint giving T-Mobile control over Sprint's hoard of 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum and allowing it to take early command of 5G service in the U.S.