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Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
- AT&T will pay roughly $23B to acquire 30 MHz of 3.45 GHz (mid-band) and 20 MHz of 600 MHz (low-band) spectrum from EchoStar/Dish, and the companies say they’ll deepen Boost’s wholesale access agreement with AT&T’s network.
- Details on the enhanced MVNO deal are vague, but it likely means Boost will lean more on AT&T coverage; priority/QoS improvements are possible but unconfirmed.
- Don’t expect instant customer-visible changes, but the added spectrum should help AT&T shore up performance and capacity, including future fixed-wireless expansion.
AT&T announced a new agreement with Boost Mobile and Dish Network’s parent company, EchoStar. A key piece is a $23 billion spectrum purchase by AT&T, covering roughly 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45GHz mid-band and 20MHz of nationwide 600 MHz low-band airwaves. There are also agreements to enhance their long-term wholesale network services agreement between the two companies, which Boost uses to fill coverage gaps where Dish’s own 5G network isn’t available.
While the companies were vague about what the “enhanced” wholesale agreement includes, the takeaway is that Boost will likely rely even more on AT&T for broader coverage in areas outside of its own 5G network. It’s also possible that AT&T will provide Boost with higher-priority access or other QoS improvements, but that’s just speculation for now.
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