In a boost for Dish’s spectrum position, 3GPP has formally approved Band 70, which comprises the satellite TV firm’s current AWS-4 spectrum (2000 MHz to 2020 MHz), its H Block downlink spectrum (1995 MHz to 2000 MHz), and unpaired AWS-3 uplink spectrum (1695 MHz to 1710 MHz). Formal approval will encourage the development of devices and infrastructure supporting Band 70 and – if the vendors are sufficiently interested – save the spectrum from being underused. “Band 70 packages what would otherwise be underutilized spectrum, paving the way for an ecosystem to better serve consumer demands for downlink,” said Tom Cullen, Dish’s EVP of corporate development, in a statement. He added that the approval had come three months ahead of schedule,…