Dish Network, T-Mobile agree on spectrum purchase extension

Dish Network and T-Mobile informed a US court last week about an agreement to extend Dish’s deadline for the purchase of T-Mobile’s 800MHz spectrum. Both companies have now agreed on April 1, 2024 as the new deadline for Dish to buy a set of T-Mobile airwaves.

The court filing notes, “Taken together, the proposed modifications to the Final Judgment provide Dish additional time to purchase the spectrum, subject to payment of the Extension Fee, provide T-Mobile with the opportunity to begin auction preparations during the extended option period, and provide certainty to the parties, the public, and the Court that Dish will be entitled to no further extensions for any reason if it does not acquire the spectrum on or before April 1, 2024.”

Dish had previously missed the August 31 deadline to purchase T-Mobile’s spectrum which the company agreed to sell as part of its merger and acquisition of Sprint in 2020. Dish has now requested both the court and the DOJ for a 10-month extension, noting that it needs more time to raise the needed funds. The US District Court for the District of Columbia will have to approve the arrangement.