Chief Executive Charlie Ergen has stepped down again. This time he’s stepping down to focus on wireless business. Erik Carlson has taken his place as CEO, but will continue to report to Charlie Ergen.
This isn’t the first time Charlie Ergen has stepped down from CEO to deal with more pressing matters of the business. He also did this in 2011 and then came back in 2015 at a time of huge subscriber losses.
Who knows how much will change for the company, but one thing is for certain — Dish Network is on a time clock. They have to use the wireless spectrum by 2020 or they’ll lose it according to the FCC. Since Dish Network has begun purchasing and holding onto spectrum at auctions, they’ve spent nearly $21 billion on it, but still no wireless service.
Dish Network has been fairly tight lipped about any pending spectrum and wireless news, but there’s still excitement in the air; implying something big is on the way. Over the summer there were rumors of Dish working with Amazon as a partnership that never panned out. There was also rumors of potential T-Mobile and Sprint partnerships that did not go anywhere either.
There’s a lot Dish can do with the spectrum. They could sell it whole or in pieces, partner with a mobile provider, or they could branch into the mobile space on their own. Dish branching out on their own isn’t all that farfetched as it sounds. They do own enough spectrum to be a national carrier all by themselves. If they were to jump into this space solo, it would mean a big shake up for existing wireless providers.
So your satellite TV provider could be your cell phone provider by 2020 or could improve your existing carrier’s signal.
About the Author: Patrick Tasner is a blogger that focuses on keeping the public informed about the ever-changing TV and Internet industries. Featured on a wide range of blogs, some of his favorites include satelliteforinternet.com, planetdish.com, and hometechscoop.com.