Company guide

DISH cell tower lease: what owners need to know in 2026

If DISH Wireless leases space on your land, roof or tower, expect that lease to end. In 2025 DISH's parent company, EchoStar, sold the airwaves its 5G network ran on. DISH then stopped paying rent on many sites. In June 2026 DISH Wireless filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and it is shutting its network down.

This is still unfolding. As of early October 2026, the court has not approved a plan for DISH Wireless, and its fight with the big tower companies is not settled. Your job now is to protect what you are owed and make sure you are not left paying to remove DISH's equipment.

Tell Me What My DISH Lease Is Worth

Who DISH is to you

DISH built its 5G network fast, mostly from 2020 to 2023. By June 2023 it covered more than 70% of the US population. It ended up on more than 24,000 sites, selling service as Boost Mobile.

Most of those sites are spots on towers owned by American Tower, Crown Castle, SBA and other tower companies. If that is your situation, DISH is a tenant on the tower and the tower company pays your ground rent. A smaller share were leased straight from owners: rooftops, water tanks, steeples and small towers. If DISH's name is on your rent check, you are in this group.

Boost Mobile is still in business. It now runs mainly on AT&T's network and is not part of the bankruptcy. DISH Wireless, the company that signed most site leases, is.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

August and September 2025: EchoStar agreed to sell spectrum to AT&T for about $23 billion and to SpaceX for about $17 billion.
Fall 2025: DISH sent letters saying its lease duties were excused because government pressure forced the sales. Many owners just stopped getting paid.
October 2025 onward: American Tower, Crown Castle and SBA sued. In January 2026 Crown Castle declared DISH in default and ended its agreement. More than 170 lawsuits followed.
June 30, 2026: DISH Wireless and its sister company DISH DBS filed Chapter 11 in Houston (case number 26-90627). DISH began filing notices rejecting site leases.
2026: As a condition of government approval of the sales, EchoStar set aside $2.4 billion in a trust to pay certain claims tied to the network shutdown. The AT&T sale closed in late July 2026.
September 2026: DISH and the big tower companies paused their court fight to talk settlement. The tower companies claim more than $7 billion. The court approved a plan for the satellite TV side in late September. The wireless case is still open with no firm end date.

The letters you may get and how to respond

The "excused" letter

This letter does not end your lease or forgive rent. Keep it. Log every missed payment. Send a written default notice the way your lease requires. Do not cut power or block access to the equipment.

A bankruptcy rejection notice

This is DISH telling the court it is walking away from your lease. Once it takes effect, rent stops and DISH may leave its gear behind. Note the effective date and any deadline to object. Do not remove or sell the equipment before that date.

A proof of claim form

This is how you get in line for money. The general deadline was August 7, 2026. If your lease was rejected later, your deadline may be later too. Claim unpaid rent, lost future rent (bankruptcy law caps this), and removal and repair costs. Many leases were listed at $0, so file your own claim with real numbers. If you missed the deadline, call a bankruptcy lawyer right away.

A letter from your tower company

If DISH was a tenant on a tower on your land, the tower company still owes your ground rent. But if your lease gives you a share of tenant rent, the DISH share may stop. Some may point to DISH's exit when asking for a rent cut. Get numbers in writing before agreeing to anything.

Equipment, removal and your lease terms

The biggest risk for a small owner is getting stuck with DISH's equipment. Clearing a roof can take a crane and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Check your lease for:

Termination: how DISH could end the lease and how much notice it owed.
Removal and restoration: how long DISH has to remove its gear and put your property back.
Deposit or removal bond: if your lease or local permit required one, find it. It may cover removal.
Unpaid rent: add up exactly what is owed, month by month, plus any late fees.
Notices: send everything to the address in the lease and keep proof.

Get written removal quotes now to support your claim. Small owners may also be able to collect from the $2.4 billion trust, but the rules are strict. You generally need a judgment, award or settlement first, and using the trust can mean giving up other ways to collect. Get a lawyer's advice before you pick a path.

What a DISH lease is worth now

Be realistic. A lease with a company shutting down in bankruptcy is not income a buyer will pay much for. Early estimates for general creditors in the wireless case were very low.

Your site can still have value. Other carriers still need locations, and a free and clear spot may suit one. If DISH sat on a tower on your land, the tower and your ground lease remain, and any offer for that lease should be judged on its own terms. The usual rules apply: get the full terms in writing and compare offers.

Common questions

DISH stopped paying me. Is my lease over?

Not on its own. Until DISH rejects the lease in bankruptcy or ends it under the lease terms, it is a lease in default. Keep records of every missed payment and send written notices the way your lease requires.

Can I remove DISH's equipment myself?

Not until the rejection of your lease takes effect or the court allows it. After that, check your lease and get advice before you sell or scrap anything. Take dated photos first.

Will I get my back rent?

Possibly some of it. File a claim in the bankruptcy case and look into the $2.4 billion trust. Expect a partial payment that takes time.

DISH was on the tower on my land. Does my ground rent change?

Your ground rent comes from the tower company under your lease, so DISH leaving does not change it unless your lease shares tenant revenue with you. Be careful if the tower company uses DISH's exit to ask for a rent cut.

I missed the claim deadline. Is it too late?

Maybe not. Leases rejected after the general deadline can have later dates, and courts sometimes allow late claims for good reason. Talk to a bankruptcy lawyer quickly.

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