Dish Network has announced to its employees and partners that it plans to launch a network for the ‘Internet of Things’ in early 2020. It will go together with the company’s plans to become the first standalone 5G provider in the United States, that same year.

Dish Network will soon be unveiling its 5G network. However, it won’t be mainly for phone services — like for many of its competitors. Instead, Dish Network is imagining the future more broadly and hopes to utilize 5G for the Internet of Things (IoT).

The company’s chairman, Charlie Ergen, told Bloomberg last December that 5G will be Dish’s “Manhattan Project.” Dish plans to spend some $10B to make this happen.

The company’s 5G is looking to connect many different technologies under one roof. From smart cars to medical equipment, the Internet of Things promises the digitization of every major device.

Does Dish Network Need Distributed Ledger Technology?

Dish’s 5G project is an ambitious one, but likely won’t be possible without another necessary component: blockchain technology.

Indeed, organic and decentralized systems will be necessary to connect all these disparate devices under one greater network. 5G will definitely be necessary to process this information in real-time — but without a distributed ledger, the information will be incredibly difficult to manage and process.

Although we have not heard mention of blockchain technology from Dish, the company is no stranger to the cryptocurrency world. For example, the company added Bitcoin Cash (BCH) as an option for its customers via BitPay. It was also the first model pay-TV provider to accept Bitcoin (BTC) back in 2014.

The Internet of Things, 5G, and Blockchain

Both 5G and blockchain technology may be required to make the Internet of Things a reality. That’s partly why so many blockchain-related projects have sprung up in the past few years to address this exact problem.

The most popular, IOTA (MIOTA), recently announced it would be working with Jaguar to include its cryptocurrency wallet into the automobile company’s Land Rover series. That’s just one small example of how cryptocurrencies and IoT technologies are quickly merging.

Dish Network is definitely setting the stage for the IoT by focusing on 5G. It remains to be seen, however, how the rest of the necessary infrastructure will play out. 5G is only one piece of the puzzle.

Do you agree that blockchain and 5G technology will, together, make the Internet of Things possible on a mass scale? Let us know your thoughts below.