Dish Network has announced it is using Qualcomm to help roll out its 5G network.

Dish is moving ahead at warp speed to roll out a 5G network to compete with the three big carriers. The company received a big boost thanks to the T-Mobile/Sprint merger. In order to receive approval for their merger, the two companies had to sell some of their spectrum, as well as Sprint’s Boost Mobile, to Dish.

Dish has been lining up deals with the major network equipment providers as it works on building the first O-RAN compliant 5G network. O-RAN (open-radio access network) is a specification that enables carriers to use components from multiple vendors, thanks to a common set of defined interfaces.

In its latest move, Dish has tapped Qualcomm’s 5G RAN platform.

“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, DISH executive vice president and chief network officer.

“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.

Thanks to its adoption of O-RAN, Dish stands poised to build out a 5G network in record time. The move will help Dish diversify its business at a time when customers are dropping cable and satellite in favor of streaming options.