DISH Network has not exactly been an ardent supporter of SpaceX, having most recently sued Elon Musk’s company over plans for its second-generation Starlink satellite constellation. While DISH is doing what they can to halt SpaceX’s progress, the company is seeming using Starlink to help promote and sell its own products.
At a recent event in Quartzsite, Arizona, DISH Network and telecommunications contractor ‘cm Wireless’ had set up a mobile shop to help sell their wireless and satellite internet products. The trailer was branded with both company’s logos and several DISH satellite dishes can be seen sitting on top of it.
According to TikTok user gooutsideandtravel the storefront included no mention of Starlink as one of the options being promoted, however hiding behind the trailer and a pickup truck was a Starlink dish, which appeared to be powering the internet connection in the trailer.
DISH using Starlink to connect to the internet… while promoting their wireless internet connectivity 😂 @SpaceX @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/oSZgxKkIIM
— Owen Sparks (@OwenSparks_) January 29, 2023
According to the TikTok user, Starlink is the only satellite internet service that works well in the Quartzsite area, as DISH network suffers from low speeds and high latency, if users are able to get a connection at all. If Starlink was in fact powering the internet connection in the trailer, this could be a serious bait and switch sales tactic in which DISH shows potential customers what internet speeds they can expect with DISH, when in fact what they will actually experience will be materially different than what they would get with Starlink.
We have reached out to DISH for comment, and will update this article if we get a response.
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