Dish Network appears to be taking its unconventional approach to building a wireless network all the way to the blockchain. Executives hosting an analyst event in Las Vegas today gave some hints about their vision for this country’s fourth wireless carrier, and it could be a future where you can pay for a new iPhone in bitcoin.
Stephen Stokols, CEO of Boost Mobile, owned by Dish, showed off the branding for a new post-paid WiFi plan called Boost Infinite, due out this fall, and, well, here’s what he said:
Digital currency doesn’t necessarily mean crypto, but Stokols continues: “Imagine being able to use decentralized finance to get the latest iconic gadgets. Imagine if there was a cell phone provider that actually paid you back.”
First of all, what? Second, “Use decentralized finance” reads very similar to “Pay for something with cryptocurrency,” and we have to assume that iPhones fall into the “latest cult device” category. If you need it all spelled out, this slide from the presentation literally does just that.
Imagine.
Maybe in addition to pay for your next phone with crypto you can always exchange your idle minutes for NFTs? Doge for your data? monkeys for apps?? The possibilities boggle the mind. Dish is already in the NFT game with Project Genesis, the pilot program for rolling out its 5G network – early testers on the network will be rewarded with NFTs, among other things.
“Doge for your data? monkeys for apps?? The possibilities boggle the mind”
Stokols seemed to hint that Dish intends to take on the big three wireless carriers under this “Boost Infinite” branding, saying that the company intends to “take Boost from the prepaid market to the mass market.” For now, at least, the network exists in a very early state under the Project Genesis branding, and Dish President John Swieringa says the program will expand to its first launch markets “in the coming weeks.” And it has to be — the company’s FCC deadline to cover 20% of the population is just weeks away.
Source: theverge