As the T-Mobile and Sprint merger case continues in court this week, Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen testified in support of the merger.
Ergen shared that he has letters from three banks, offering $10 billion in funding for Dish to launch a new wireless network. The letters show that the banks are “highly confident” that the money could be lent for the project. Ergen commented that the letters were not commitments and that no action would be taken before learning the official outcome of the trial.
As part of an agreement between Dish and authorities, the company would have to pay $2 billion in penalties and give up its wireless licenses if they don’t create a wireless network after a merger.
It was reported in a series of tweets from Walter Piecyk of LightShed Partners that Ergen expects to have a wireless network ready for the market within just 30 days of the merger closing, allowing Dish to launch their 5G network in 2020.
Ergen testified Tuesday and was expected to continue Wednesday, though Judge Marrero said that some discussion would be help in private to protect sensitive information that cannot be shared with Dish competitors.
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