Dish Wireless has filed trademark applications for the brands “Maverick” and “M Maverick” for possible use in smartphones and other wireless telecom devices, according to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office database.
Longtime telecom reporter Steve Donohue discovered the trademark applications, which were filed on May 10. Donohue posted a Tweet showing the proposed mark, which consists of a stylized cursive letter "M" and a stylized word "maverick."
Dish did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether it hoped to brand its own smartphones on its new 5G network.
When Dish Wireless announced that it had lit up its first commercial 5G market recently in Las Vegas, there was quite a bit of derision about the sole phone that will initially work on the network. It’s the Motorola Edge+, which costs $899.99.
A couple of days later, on the company’s Q1 2022 earnings call, Dish executives explained that the limited handset availability related to its Band 70 spectrum. The Motorola Edge+ is able to run on aggregated Band 66 and 71 spectrum. “We do have Band 70 devices in the labs now, working with all of our major OEMs on that,” said Dish Wireless President John Swieringa.
Dish hasn’t specified which OEMs it’s working with. And analysts have said it’s not that easy to convince major OEMs like Apple and Samsung to manufacture phones that work on specific spectrum, unless the OEMs are convinced there will be significant uptake.
Self-branded phones
It’s uncommon in the U.S. for mobile operators to self-brand smartphones for use on their networks. But Dish has already done this with its Boost prepaid offering. In September 2021 it introduced the Celero5G, a proprietary 5G phone for Boost customers.
The Android-based Celero5G sells for about $280 online.
It’s also possible that Dish’s Maverick trademark applications are for devices other than smartphones.
The company has expressed a strong interest in private wireless networks. And its executives also have said they're monitoring the fixed wireless access (FWA) opportunity. It’s possible Dish wants to brand wireless devices related to those technologies.
Update 5/18/22:
Wave7 Research analyst Jeff Moore added some perspective on carriers white-labeling their own phones. He said AT&T is increasingly using its own brand for its smartphones. According to his most recent Smartphone Report, AT&T works with Emblem Solutions for white-label device sourcing. This relationship has been in place since at least 2018.
AT&T white-labeled phones include the AT&T FusionZ, which sells for $79.99, the AT&T Fusion for $219.99 and the AT&T Calypso for $88.99.
Moore said two OEMs that make phones for white-labeling are Wingtech and Huaqin.
Asked why AT&T would want to white-label phones, Moore said “part of it is cost” because these are usually cheaper phones. And he added that getting phones from geographically diverse sources is safer from a supply-chain perspective.