FCC Approves Dish Network Long Term Evolution Plan

Federal Communications Commission members unanimously approved a plan to allow Dish Network Corp. to re-use its mobile satellite spectrum to build a new Long Term Evolution mobile network, one more example of how the U.S. mobile market is being challenged. 

All five FCC members have voted on the rules. Dish is required to build out at least 70 percent of the new network within six years, and will have to reserve some of its spectrum as a guard band to prevent interference with other licensed users, a problem LightSquared encountered as well. 

Dish has said that provision would be a "game changer" for Dish that would make the proposed LTE network "risky." 

Some observers have argued all along that Dish would simply sell its spectrum at some point, and not bother getting into the mobile business. Others are not so sure, given Dish's largely saturated video entertainment business and CEO Charlie Ergen's comments that, if he had to do it all over again, he might not choose satellite delivery as his way of attacking the video entertainment market.