SAN DIEGO -- DISH Network Corporation and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced their collaboration to test open and virtualized RAN 5G solutions containing the new Qualcomm® 5G RAN Platforms to help fast track DISH’s rollout of the nation’s first cloud-native, Open RAN-compliant 5G network.

DISH will utilize the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms through DISH’s network vendors and device partners. The platforms are designed to allow emerging network vendors to accelerate deployment and commercialization of vRAN and interoperable networks that can deliver on the wide array of use cases and opportunities envisioned for 5G.

“By further expanding its portfolio of 5G infrastructure solutions to include O-RAN specifications that are compliant with DISH’s open architecture and implementation, Qualcomm Technologies will enable greater flexibility in the deployment of our 5G vRAN equipment. With this move, Qualcomm Technologies will also enrich a diverse ecosystem of RAN applications by delivering data insights natively through the future chipset family. These insights are the foundation of our data-centric and fully-automated network architecture. We are pleased to see Qualcomm Technologies embracing O-RAN and virtualization, creating even more possibilities for the future of 5G across the industry,” said Marc Rouanne, executive vice president and chief network officer, DISH.

“We are excited about working with DISH to accelerate their strategy to bring flexible, scalable, and interoperable 5G deployments to a more competitive North American market. With our vast 5G portfolio, from smartphone to infrastructure, we are committed to supporting DISH’s network vendors and device partners to bring new capabilities to life, with standalone 5G and Vo5G across all DISH spectrum bands,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.