The last time we heard news from Dish Network, they were in a bidding war with Sprint over majority share of Clearwire. It now seems as if Dish got tired of that idea and has since decided to try and buy Sprint instead. Sprint and SoftBank have been trying to close a deal that would put the Japanese carrier in control, but Dish has made a larger bid and hopes to raise the funds needed to complete the deal. 

Dish wants to purchase Sprint to become the first company to be able to offer broadband internet, TV and mobile plans under one roof. This is just a proposal though, it doesn’t mean the deal is anywhere close to being done. At this point the ball is in Sprint’s court for making a decision on which offer to take. Dish’s deal comes in at $25.5 billion where as SoftBank’s is only $20.1 and we know how money talks.

Who knows what this means for the rumored Google and Dish Network mobile network, but it’s not looking good.

Via: Sprint | The Verge

Dish Network Proposes $25.5 Billion Bid to Take Control of Sprint is a post from: Droid Life

Sprint and Clearwire have been working together for a while and had their share of drama in the past. Clearwire has been helping Sprint with their build out of Sprint’s LTE network. Today however, a new player has stepped in between the two. Dish Network, who we’ve all heard is in cahoots with Google to make their own wireless network, has outbid Sprint for a majority share in Clearwire.

Dish Network’s bid would give Clearwire 11% more cash than Sprint’s would. Sprint is obviously not pleased and says that Dish’s bid is “inferior” to theirs. Both companies would greatly benefit from the purchase of the company, Sprint needing Clearwire for their LTE rollout and Dish would might be one step closer to Google and their own spectrum. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on how this deal shakes out over the next few days.

Via: NYT

Dish Network Outbids Sprint to Buy Out Majority Share of Clearwire is a post from: Droid Life

The FCC has voted in favor of allowing Dish Network to use their AWS spectrum as a 4G LTE wireless network. Dish will now “consider its strategic options,” but as you all know, Google was once brought up as a potential partner for the satellite company. Those rumors seem to have died a bit, but in order for those talks to even advance, you would assume that this approval needed to happen first. Sprint has also been linked to Dish, along with a handful of other companies.

Via:  Engadget | FCC

FCC Gives Dish Network Approval to Build Own LTE Network is a post from: Droid Life

Eric Schmidt is Google’s Executive Chairman and also the company, and Android’s, biggest cheerleader when it comes to the media. In a recent interview, Schmidt sat down and talked business about a lot of things going on with Google and the conversation inevitably leaned towards their patent struggles with Apple. Schmidt said, “It’s extremely curious that Apple has chosen to sue Google’s partners instead of Google itself.” But he didn’t stop there. 

He continued about Apple v Google, “The adult way to run a business is to run it more like a country. They have disputes, yet they’ve actually been able to have huge trade with each other. They’re not sending bombs at each other.” It seems as if there is a mutual respect between the two companies, but Schmidt would like to see it go down in a different way.

Schmidt was also asked about the juicy rumor that Google is looking into making their own wireless carrier, to which Schmidt didn’t really say no. After saying that their current focus is Kansas City and their new Google Fiber, Schmidt said “The current spectrum shortage is real, but it’s an artifact of a licensing and regulatory error. New technology allows there to be lots of spectrum, far more than you could use.” Sounds like Google might just be waiting on this “new technology” before launching into the spectrum game.

Via: Wall Street Journal

Eric Schmidt Thinks It’s ‘Extremely Curious’ That Apple Hasn’t Sued Google Directly is a post from: Droid Life

Somewhere, Google execs are excited with today’s news that an FCC chairman has come out and supported Dish Network’s idea that they want their own wireless network. Before Dish can do any actual building of a network, the FCC has to sign off on almost every part of it. Having a chairman support you is a good sign, but doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a done deal.

There are plans for the FCC as a whole to rule on Dish’s network by the end of the year so we might not have to wait that much longer. If the rumors are true that Dish and Google have plans to work together on this venture, you can bet they want to hear sooner rather than later.

Via: The Verge

FCC Chairman Publicly Supports Dish Network’s Plan For a Mobile Network is a post from: Droid Life

Fresh off of this morning’s rumor, which pegged Google and Dish Network as pals looking to start up a wireless service of their own to compete with AT&T and Verizon, a new rumor claims to confirm that it’s happening. The folks over at 9to5Google heard word from sources who claim that the we could see this network by mid-2013 because Google is “deep in development plans.” They are under the impression that the service will be data-only and that voice and SMS services will happen via VoIP.

It’s tough to tell if this believable or not. The Wall Street Journal’s report said that Google and Dish were in nothing more than preliminary talks, yet this makes it sound as if we are under a year away from full-on Google wireless service.

You tell me.

Via:  9to5Google

Latest Rumor Says Google and Dish’s Wireless Service is Go, Launching in Mid-2013 is a post from: Droid Life

According to the Wall Street Journal, Dish Network is looking to build out its own wireless service thanks to spectrum that it acquired back in 2008. While it has talked to multiple potential partners, one of them should get you excited – Google. A source close to the matter said that the talks between the two were not advanced and that they could lead to nothing, however, it’s certainly an area that makes sense on a number of levels for Google. The idea here, is to create a network that could rival AT&T and Verizon. 

Why does it make sense, you ask? For one, Google is clearly at odds with the current state of the wireless service business here in the U.S. Their Nexus program appears to be aimed at undercutting and subverting all that Verizon and AT&T stand for. They want you to be able to buy a phone at a reasonable price, but not have to sign a contract, hence the pricing of the Nexus 4 at $299. Google also wants you to be able to buy a phone first and choose a carrier second, something that carriers want no part of.

Beyond phones and service though, Google has an interest in its own wireless service because they are big supporters of net neutrality. For those not familiar, I’ll try to briefly explain. Big carriers, namely Verizon, wants to control every aspect of their network, including how, when and what you access on the internet. They want to be able to load this web page faster than that web page, or sign a deal with this search provider over that one to make it your default. Those are tiny examples, but you can see what would happen should Verizon win the net neutrality battle.

Google, on the other hand, is completely for net neutrality, and has shown by spending millions at the government level to try to keep the web open. With their own wireless service, they not only have a way to enforce net neutrality, but they may have a bigger say in the regulation of it.

Last, if Google were to approach a wireless service like they have done with Google Fiber in Kansas City, then it would probably be the greatest wireless service known to man.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Via:  WSJ

Cheers Jeff and everyone else who sent this in!

Google to Create Own Wireless Service in Partnership With Dish? is a post from: Droid Life