Wall Street Revisits Dish, Amazon Partnership On Wireless Opportunities, Internet Of Things

The Wall Street Journal revived news Thursday of a planned wireless partnership between DISH Network Corp DISH and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN, prompting a pop in Dish stock to an intraday high of about 1.5 percent.

Investor reactions abated since Benzinga’s early June reports signaled the pair’s intention to support Amazon delivery drones with Dish’s 5G spectrum and integrate Prime Video into Dish streaming platforms. Dish spiked up 3.6 percent at the time.

WSJ sources expanded the discussion to propose Amazon’s potential financing of Dish’s Internet-of-Things network and the possible opportunity for Prime members to secure a Dish phone plan or wireless connectivity.

Notably, while the Benzinga source advised of an impending merger deal to take place within the next few months, WSJ sources noted such a transaction was unlikely.

Still, a deeper partnership makes sense to some tech experts.

“The idea of Amazon partnering with DISH may seem unusual, but their aspirations may be intersecting around connected devices and the IoT opportunity,” Citi analyst Michael Rollins had written in a mid-May note.

Before the exposure of the wireless collaboration, Amazon integrated Alexa into Dish boxes, the companies discussed possibilities for Dish’s IoT, and Dish CEO Charlie Ergen indicated the firm’s interest in collaborating with a partner capable of taking wireless beyond texting and streaming.

The relationship dates back as late as April 2015 when Dish began using Amazon Home Services to sell its in-home installations.

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