Equinix, the world's digital infrastructure company, announced a partnership with DISH to provide digital infrastructure services in support of the United States' first cloud-native, Open RAN-based 5G network.
By partnering with Equinix, DISH will have access to the critical interconnection infrastructure in Equinix's International Business Exchange data centers across the U.S.
Equinix provides customers with access to more than 1,800 networks and over 2,900 cloud, IT, and system integrator services globally. A 5G network – built from the ground up – requires this level of highly-distributed, well-integrated infrastructure. By connecting directly to strategic partners and end users, DISH will leverage Equinix's footprint to help bring 5G to cities nationwide.
Equinix recently announced the opening of a first-of-its-kind, fully functional 5G and Edge Technology Development Center which includes a fully operational, non-standalone 5G network from Nokia to test and validate various 5G services and use cases. Equinix has invested in helping service providers and network operators bring innovative concepts to market by providing an agile production framework for assessing, incubating and testing 5G and edge solutions for end-to-end secure applications. The company expects this will support the growing demand for companies to accelerate their evolution from traditional to digital businesses by rapidly scaling their infrastructure, easily adopting hybrid multicloud architectures, and interconnecting with strategic business partners within the Platform Equinix global ecosystem of over 10,000 customers.
Jeff McSchooler, DISH EVP of Wireless Network Operations
DISH is taking the lead in delivering on the promise of 5G in the U.S., and our partnership with Equinix will enable us to secure critical interconnections for a nationwide 5G network.
Jon Lin, President of Americas, Equinix
5G will have a transformative impact on way the world connects and does business, but it requires a modern, connected underlying infrastructure at the edge. DISH will leverage our extensive ecosystem of network partners and cloud providers to deliver a fast, powerful 5G network to communities across the United States.
