Governor Mark Gordon applauded news that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has awarded a $50 million grant to DISH Wireless to establish the Open RAN Center for Integration and Deployment (ORCID) in Wyoming. DISH has been growing in Cheyenne since 1994, where there is now a state-of-the-art satellite uplink facility and data center with 78 employees.

This $50 million grant represents a significant investment in DISH’s Cheyenne facility, which will now host the ORCID testing center. Vendors from across the country and around the globe will have an opportunity to test and validate their Open RAN solutions in DISH’s Cheyenne facility against a complete commercial-grade network deployed by DISH in Wyoming. The work done in Cheyenne will be a key part of driving future investments in secure and resilient wireless infrastructure in Wyoming and across the country.

“This is exciting news that highlights how Wyoming’s economy is growing and diversifying. The DISH and NTIA project will have a ripple effect on economic development, and this can build on our efforts to expand high-speed broadband around the state and bring in more technology jobs,” Governor Gordon said.