EchoStar is offloading 20 MHz of nationwide 600 MHz spectrum and 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz spectrum to AT&T for $23 billion, shuttering parts of its greenfield Open RAN network, and moving to a ‘hybrid’ MNO model that will use the AT&T network for the Boost Mobile service, while continuing to use T-Mobile for roaming access. The deal is a disappointment for the Open RAN ecosystem, which viewed Dish Network (and then Boost Mobile following a rebranding) as a flagship example of the technology. To this end, the news is a blow to Samsung, as the main radio provider, as well as Wind River and Mavenir – although the core network functions hosted in AWS are likely to continue.…