Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	2001
Founder	Peter Adderton, Craig Cooper, Kirt McMaster, Nextel Communications
Headquarters	United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Hamid Akhavan (President and CEO of parent EchoStar)
Products	Wireless telecommunications services, 5G network services
Owner	EchoStar Corporation
Parent	EchoStar Corporation

'DISH Wireless L.L.C., known commercially as Boost Mobile, is a U.S.-based telecommunications firm and a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. Ranking as the fourth largest wireless provider across the United States, Boost Mobile, together with its affiliated brands Gen Mobile and Ting Mobile, serves a combined customer base of 7.2 million as of March 31, 2025.

Boost Mobile was established in 2001 by Peter Adderton, Craig Cooper, Kirt McMaster, and Nextel Communications. Nextel acquired the company in 2003. After the merger between Sprint and Nextel, Boost Mobile became part of Sprint in 2005. Following the merger of Sprint with T-Mobile, Dish Network purchased Boost Mobile on July 1, 2020. Subsequently, with Dish merging into EchoStar on December 31, 2023, Boost Mobile transitioned into an EchoStar subsidiary.

The company operates a 5G network that reaches over 80% of the U.S. population. Additionally, Boost Mobile provides service through AT&T and T-Mobile networks, expanding its coverage and strengthening its competitive stance in the wireless telecommunications market.

Formation and Nextel era

After founding Boost Mobile Australia and launching operations in New Zealand in 2000, Peter Adderton partnered with Craig Cooper and Kirt McMaster to introduce Boost Mobile to the U.S. market in 2001 through a joint venture with Nextel Communications. Utilizing Nextel's iDEN technology, Boost Mobile pioneered an unlimited push-to-talk service priced at one dollar per day—an innovative approach targeting urban minority communities with localized marketing campaigns. Initially confined to California and Nevada, Nextel acquired full control over Boost’s U.S. operations by 2003. Following Sprint Corporation’s acquisition of Nextel, Boost Mobile expanded nationwide under the umbrella of Sprint Nextel Corporation.

Under Sprint management

While maintaining service on the iDEN network, Boost Mobile launched its Unlimited by Boost Mobile plan in 2006 using Sprint’s CDMA infrastructure, offering unlimited talk, text, and data in select regions. This initiative led to substantial subscriber growth although the full migration to CDMA was phased over time.

To broaden its appeal beyond urban areas and compete more effectively within the industry, Boost introduced a Monthly Unlimited Plan in January 2009. This plan attracted over 674,000 new customers within three months and increased revenue despite overall contract subscriber declines at Nextel. The rapid growth placed considerable stress on the iDEN network, resulting in service delays that necessitated network upgrades.

At the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, Boost announced expanded unlimited offerings on Sprint’s CDMA network. That same year, Sprint acquired prepaid competitor Virgin Mobile USA, merging both brands into a new no-contract services division aimed at consolidating market share within prepaid wireless services.

In 2019, amid the pending merger between Sprint Corporation and T-Mobile US, Sprint agreed to divest its prepaid assets—including Boost Mobile—to comply with antitrust regulations. By January 2020, Sprint had discontinued the Virgin Mobile USA brand and transitioned its customers to Boost Mobile, positioning Boost as Sprint’s flagship prepaid brand ahead of the merger.

Ownership under Dish Network

Following the merger of Sprint with T-Mobile on April 1, 2020, T-Mobile divested Boost Mobile to Dish Network as part of a $1.4 billion transaction. This transfer was finalized on July 1, with new Boost subscribers utilizing T-Mobile’s network, while existing Sprint customers transitioned gradually. Dish pledged to develop a 5G network reaching at least 70% of the U.S. population by June 2023 and secured seven years of access to T-Mobile’s infrastructure.

To broaden its wireless customer base, Dish acquired several brands: Ting Mobile in August 2020, Republic Wireless in March 2021, and Gen Mobile in September 2021. On July 19, 2021, Dish revealed a $5 billion wholesale wireless agreement with AT&T spanning ten years, which included shared access to certain 5G spectrum assets.

In December 2022, Dish introduced a postpaid wireless service under the newly created Boost Infinite brand, signaling a strategic expansion into postpaid offerings.

Ransomware incident in 2023

In February 2023, Dish Network, the parent company of Boost Mobile, suffered a major ransomware attack that disrupted internal operations and led to service interruptions and data breaches across its subsidiaries. This incident affected Boost Mobile users nationwide, who encountered challenges when trying to reach customer support, cancel services, or process payments. Service disruptions lasted more than a month, with customer support wait times exceeding 14 hours at times. Complete restoration of services was achieved by May 2023.

Ownership transition to EchoStar

On August 8, 2023, Dish Network Corporation and EchoStar Corporation announced plans to merge in order to strengthen resources and improve flexibility in connectivity services. EchoStar finalized its acquisition of Dish Network and its wireless segment on December 31, 2023.

Hamid Akhavan, President and CEO of EchoStar, unveiled plans for revitalizing the Boost Mobile brand during the second half of 2024. On July 17, 2024, EchoStar consolidated its prepaid Boost Mobile and postpaid Boost Infinite brands into a single rebranded Boost Mobile entity, launching new unlimited 5G plans starting at $25 per month. These offerings include a 30-day money-back guarantee and a price lock promotion for postpaid customers.

However, on June 6, 2025, reports emerged that EchoStar was preparing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following the FCC’s suspension of its authority to make strategic decisions regarding Boost Mobile. Bondholders retained legal representation in anticipation of the potential filing amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny.

Network

Dish Network extended its footprint beyond satellite television by establishing an independent nationwide 5G wireless network after acquiring Boost Mobile. This network operates without depending on pre-existing LTE infrastructure.

In May 2022, Dish launched its "Project Genesis" branded 5G service in Las Vegas, targeting coverage across 120 cities by June 2023. By June 2022, it satisfied the FCC’s requirement to cover at least 20% of the U.S. population; coverage expanded to reach 70% by June 2023.

EchoStar rebranded the Boost Mobile 5G network as the "Boost Mobile Network," retiring the Dish Wireless brand identity. On September 18, 2024, EchoStar petitioned for an extension on final construction deadlines for multiple spectrum licenses until December 31, 2026, with a possible extension through June 14, 2028.

EchoStar committed to increasing nationwide 5G coverage to encompass 80% of the U.S. population by the end of 2024 and is accelerating deployment across more than 500 license areas. The company intends to introduce an affordable nationwide plan offering 30 GB for $25 per month alongside a $125 device price point. Plans include expanding tower infrastructure to approximately 24,000 sites by mid-2025 and enabling smaller carriers and tribal entities to lease unused spectrum capacity.

On September 20, 2024, the FCC approved EchoStar’s framework for building out Boost Mobile’s nationwide 5G network.

Radio frequency spectrum chart

The following table outlines the frequency bands that Boost Mobile currently utilizes or intends to deploy across the United States.

Boost Mobile Network Frequency Bands

Frequency Band	Band Number	Protocol	Generation	Status	Additional Information
600 MHz DD	n71	NR	5G	Active/Under Expansion	Network trial initiated in November 2020. Licenses span the entire continental U.S.
700 MHz Lower SMH Block E	n29				Supplemental downlink exclusively.
1.7/2.1 GHz AWS	n66				Combination of EchoStar's unpaired AWS-3, PCS-H, and AWS-4 spectrum assets.
	n70
3.4 GHz C-band	n77			Deployment pending	Licenses encompass 100% of the continental U.S.; acquired during the 2021 auction.
3.5 GHz CBRS	n48			Trial phase/Under deployment	Licenses cover the entire continental U.S.; rollout ongoing in selected regions.
3.7 GHz C-band	n77			Deployment pending	Available from December 2023 onward.
24 GHz K-Band	n258				Spectrum secured in the 2019 auction.
28 GHz Ka-Band	n261
39 GHz Ka-Band	n260				Spectrum obtained in the 2020 auction.
47 GHz V-Band	n262				Licenses cover the entire continental United States.

Released phones

Boost Mobile introduced its first iDEN-based Android smartphone, the Motorola i1, in June 2010. This was followed by the April 2011 launch of the Samsung Galaxy Prevail, marking their initial CDMA-based Android offering.

By July 2012, Boost expanded its lineup with the BlackBerry Curve 9310. Subsequently, in March 2013, the HTC One SV and ZTE-manufactured Boost Force, both among Boost's first devices operating on Sprint's 4G LTE network, were released. The LG Optimus F7, notable for its removable UICC SIM card supporting LTE connectivity, debuted in June 2013.

December 2014 saw Boost Mobile add the Lumia 635, its first smartphone powered by Microsoft's Windows Phone OS. By July 2015, Boost diversified into mobile internet devices with the launch of the NETGEAR Fuse, alongside no-contract Wi-Fi Hotspot plans, marking their entry into Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot products and services.

Marketing

Initially, Boost Mobile concentrated its marketing efforts on teenagers and young adults, emphasizing action sports, lifestyle elements, and urban music culture. Previous U.S. campaigns featured artists such as Kanye West, Ludacris, and The Game, utilizing the tagline "Where you at?"—a reference to Boost phones’ walkie-talkie functionality that later evolved to promote a social GPS application. The brand also secured endorsements from personalities like Indy Car racer Danica Patrick. Notably, a 2005 episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force served as an early example of native advertising for Boost Mobile.

Regional promotions included creative initiatives such as live paper shredders at bus stops in Chicago and Boston that shredded rival carriers’ contracts into confetti to highlight Boost’s competitive value proposition.

On January 20, 2010, Sprint Nextel, then Boost Mobile’s parent company, featured former 1985 Chicago Bears players recreating the "Super Bowl Shuffle" as "The Boost Mobile Shuffle" during Super Bowl XLIV to boost brand recognition.

In June 2012, Boost launched a television campaign promoting the HTC EVO Design 4G smartphone on Sprint's WiMAX network, starring comedian Faizon Love as the "4Genie," symbolizing affordable access to 4G service.

On July 1, 2021, coinciding with NCAA athletes gaining rights to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL), Boost signed Fresno State basketball twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder as brand ambassadors, leveraging their substantial social media following.

Affordable Connectivity Program

Boost Mobile took part in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provided eligible families with reduced-cost mobile plans and one-time device discounts. This federal effort, managed by the FCC, sought to improve affordable access to connectivity through collaborations with carriers such as Boost Mobile. The initiative offered financial support based on income but ceased receiving funding in 2024.