Dish Network has acquired the assets of Ting Mobile, bringing more than 200,000 prepaid wireless subscribers under the control of the satellite television company.
The announcement was made in a press release early Monday morning that touted a new partnership between Dish Network and Tucows, a tech company best known for its domain name and web hosting products.
“Today, we welcome Ting Mobile customers to Dish,” John Swieringa, Dish Network’s chief operating officer and president of the company’s wireless products, said in a statement. “Ting Mobile is a great brand that stands for better value in wireless, and we are eager to begin delivering our award-winning customer service to Ting subscribers.”
Ting operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that provides prepaid wireless service using the T-Mobile network. Dish Network says Tucows transition from a MVNO into a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE), a company that provides infrastructure, equipment, software and other assets to startup companies so they can become MVNOs.
Tucows said its first customer as a MVNE is Dish Network, and it will continue to provide support to Ting Mobile customers as part of its new business relationship with the satellite company.
“[Dish Network] has acquired a well-loved mobile brand, a loyal customer base and a proven platform,” Elliot Noss, the chief executive of Tucows, said in a statement. “Tucows will now refocus our mobile business on building and maintaining platforms that simplify complex systems while still maintaining strong, consistent cash flows. Ting Mobile customers will surely reap the rewards of a better cost structure, and the U.S. mobile industry has an aggressive competitor in [Dish Network], a company well-positioned to disrupt the industry.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
NEW: Dish Network has acquired prepaid wireless phone company Ting Mobile https://t.co/9CQoQCT2NQ
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) August 3, 2020
Earlier this year, Dish Network acquired the assets of Boost Mobile, a prepaid MVNO operated by Sprint. The acquisition fulfilled a pre-merger regulatory condition between Sprint and then-rival T-Mobile; both companies combined earlier this year.
It was not immediately clear if Dish Network would continue to rely on T-Mobile’s network for Ting Mobile or if customers would become Boost Mobile customers in the future.
