Recently on August 26th, 2025 AT&T and EchoStar (Boost Mobile / DISH Network) announced an agreement where EchoStar agreed to sell all of their 3.45 GHz and 600 MHz spectrum licenses to AT&T for approximately $23 billions dollars.
The SpaceX $17B EchoStar acquisition adds further urgency for DISH landlords to understand their options.
What does this all mean?
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For cell tower owners or property owners with DISH cell tower leases:
A cell tower owner once told us, that he, and other cell tower owners for a long while would “kiss the check” that DISH would be sending to them each month, suspecting that the financial health and viability of a 4th carrier would short-lived. If you’re cell tower owner or landlord with a DISH / Boost Mobile lease on your property there is a strong possibility that your lease may be terminated. If you’re fortunate, it’s possible that it could potentially be assigned to AT&T, but those details are unknown at this time.
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For AT&T:
The acquisition strengthens their mid-band holdings, and it appears that T-Mobile will have a new neighbor in the 600 MHz bands. We were at T-Mobile when our team launched the first 5G layer on its 600MHz band back in 2019. AT&T continues to move investments forward in their core business of wireless and fiber, moving further away from Time Warner mistakes in the past, becoming more content-agnostic. How much will it cost to deploy? When will they deploy it? Those are logical questions for leadership that might be asked on the next earnings call for Q3/2025.
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For EchoStar / DISH:
This move was a lifeline for the company as it struggled to establish itself as the nation’s fourth carrier. Charlie Ergen’s decision to begin acquiring spectrum over a decade ago enabled his organization to remain relevant, even as legacy names like DirecTV and other satellite providers faded from prominence. A supportive FCC climate also played a significant role in making this possible. EchoStar / DISH has other spectrum assets that it will likely examine for strategic sale in the future, while remaining an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator).
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For EchoStar / DISH – Boost Wireless Mobile Employees:
We always hoped that EchoStar / DISH would keep going for as long as they possibly could. Charlie Ergen and team were swift to act, with nearly 500 positions having been eliminated. Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to work alongside many talented and dedicated individuals in that organization, and we deeply regret that they are facing this difficult situation.
Start by reviewing your cell tower lease agreement to understand what happens if DISH ceases operations at your site.
As the wireless landscape continues to evolve, moments like these remind us how quickly lease dynamics and carrier strategies can change. We’ve worked alongside property owners to help them navigate shifts like this—evaluating risk, understanding lease impacts, and positioning sites for long-term value.
The recent news regarding SpaceX’s $17B EchoStar Deal has sent shockwaves through the wireless industry, as Starlink looks to integrate massive satellite capacity with terrestrial spectrum to bolster its direct-to-cell capabilities. For property owners, this shift in infrastructure dominance raises urgent questions about what happens when a lease expires?, particularly for those with rural towers that might face decommissioning as satellite-to-phone technology becomes a more cost-effective alternative to remote ground sites. Understanding this high-tech consolidation is the only way to avoid the 5 mistakes selling a cell tower lease, as many landlords are currently rushing into undervalued buyouts without realizing that their “ground rights” still hold significant value for edge computing and localized 6G deployment.
JW Tower & Telecom Consulting
(720) 295-5333 [email protected]
