Cord cutters have long dreamed of having true options when it comes to internet service. Finally, cord cutters can now cancel their Cable TV service and their cable internet service, breaking completely free from cable TV thanks to new options like 5G Home Internet. This move has started what is becoming known as cord cutting 2.0.
Now DISH is reportedly hoping to launch its own 5G Home Internet service using 800MHz spectrum it owns. To do this DISH’s Charlie Ergen traveled to Washington, DC, to ask regulators to free up the 12GHz band its internet service, according to a report from LightReading. Not only that, but DISH is also asking the FCC to invest some of the $9 billion it has set aside for 5G internet into DISH’s new 5G internet service.
So what is cord cutting 2.0? Cord Cutting 1.0 was cutting the cord on cable TV. Now in 2023, cord cutting 2.0 is about cutting the cord on home internet and getting new options.
Cord Cutting 2.0 is getting off to a strong start in 2023 as in just the 2nd quarter of the month, T-Mobile and Verizon added 893,000 new 5G Home Internet Customers. This is on top of the 523,000 home 5G home internet customers that T-Mobile added in the 1st quarter of 2023.
Now it seems that DISH may jump into cord cutting 2.0 and launch a home internet service. This week, during DISH and Echostars earnings call, DISH said they are looking into 5G Home Internet as a possible new service for them to offer.
Currently, DISH owns the majority of the 12 GHz spectrum that many believe will be best suited for 5G Home Internet. DISH would need FCC approval to use this spectrum the door was recently left open for it. This recent trip to DC was part of DISH’s push to get the FCC to approve its plan to offer 5G home internet.
To do all of this DISH still needs to raise $3.6 billion to complete the purchase of T-Mobile’s spectrum it hopes to use for this service. DISH has until April 1st 2024 to do this but must pay T-Mobile $100 million for that extension.
DISH has previously said it believes that this 12GHz band would be perfect to offer internet service to millions of customers in rural America.
“The 12GHz band represents 500 megahertz of spectrum that can be authorized for higher-power fixed service without causing harmful interference to existing services,” the company wrote of its latest meetings with FCC officials. “Dish reiterated that the Commission can, and should, act expeditiously to unlock the power of 5G-ready spectrum in this band.”
DISH launching a 5G home internet service would be one more option for cord cutters to break free from high-cost cable internet. Right now, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T already offer 5G Home Internet, and DISH would be a 4th option for many Americans. This, along with new fiber options, internet from space, and more, will finally bring real options to Americans looking to cancel cable internet.
For years, cable companies counted on their internet services to offset the losses with TV. Now cable companies are facing real competition in the world of home internet, something they have not faced in a long time. This has led to some cable TV companies seeing the growth of their internet services slow, in 2023.
Cord cutting 2.0 may still be in the very early days, but a growing number of Americans have started to look for cheaper options for internet. Like the early days of cord cutting, this movement is picking up speed with no signs of slowing.
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