From its founding in the 1980s Dish Network has primarily focused on the satellite television business, capitalizing on technological advancements to expand its reach. The firm now serves 9 million U.S. customers via its network of owned and leased satellites. Dish launched an Internet-based television offering under the Sling brand in 2015 and now serves about 2.5 million customers on this platform. Dish's future, however, hinges primarily on the wireless business. The firm has amassed a large portfolio of spectrum licenses over the past decade, spending more than $22 billion in the process, and is now building a nationwide wireless network. It acquired Sprint's prepaid business, serving about 9 million customers, as the entry point into the wireless retail market.