Significance: In the US battle to keep up with mobile broadband demand, old and new operators are looking to spectrum bands which were once considered almost worthless. New LTE techniques are making them more usable, but the patchwork of frequencies building up at firms like AT&T indicates the desperation of the US providers to narrow the gap with Verizon in spectrum and LTE coverage terms ‘ especially if the latter succeeds in its purchase of significant spectrum holdings from four cablecos. AT&T has been making a series of smaller deals in 700MHz and now, via NextWave, in the awkward WCS band, while Dish is still determined to use its mobile satellite licences for 4G, and may even complicate its life…