America Loses Dish, a National Wireless Carrier, in 2025

Editor's Note: Published on Dec. 16, 2025; republished on Jan. 6, 2026.

At the beginning of 2025, there were four national wireless carriers in the United States. By the end, there were three.

12 Days of Broadband 2025 (click to open)

• On the First Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__One Carr driving the Federal Communications Commission .
• On the Second Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__Two superpowers racing toward AI superintelligence dominance .
• On the Third Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:Three branches of government (and some formerly independent agencies).
• On the Fourth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__Four programs with Universal Service Funds .
• On the Fifth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__56 states and territories without digital equity grants.
• On the Sixth Day of Broadband, my true level sent to me:__Less than 6 months for a broadband permit .
• On the Seventh Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__Data center-powered electricity bills up 70 percent .
• On the Eighth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__800 megahertz of spectrum to sell at auction .
• On the Ninth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__$9 billion + 12 billion (or $21 billion) in BEAD remaining funds .
• On the Tenth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__Not even $10/month for an affordable connectivity program .
• On the Eleventh Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__Through BEAD and broadband, 110 million locations served .
• On the Twelfth Day of Broadband, my true love sent to me:__More than 1200 megahertz of spectrum for unlicensed wireless .

Click to read each of the 12 Days of Broadband articles!

After Federal Communications Commission probes into its spectrum licenses, EchoStar reached deals this fall with AT&T and SpaceX to sell much of those licenses in deals totalling $42.6 billion.

As a result of those deals, EchoStar is decommissioning its wireless network but will continue serving its Boost Mobile customers largely on AT&T infrastructure. That’s already led to a legal battle with a major tower company as EchoStar looks to exit contracts related to the network.

See also Broadband Breakfast's 'Spectrum Wars' feature:

Jostling in the Airwaves Resumes After Passage of Trump’s Budget BillTrump’s budget law mandated a ‘spectrum pipeline’ to sell off 800 megahertz of spectrum. Coupled with FCC pressure, the law is quickly re-arranging the commercial airwavesBroadband BreakfastJake Neenan

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