The US operators are determined to be in the forefront of early 5G deployments, with AT&T, Verizon and Sprint all planning trials of prototypes in high frequency spectrum bands well ahead of any standards for the air interface in these bands. Their eagerness to trial new approaches to supporting new levels of capacity, coverage, low latency and power efficiency will inevitably spark a landgrab for key enablers in spectrum and technology. Dish has set that particular ball rolling with a bid to block Verizon’s acquisition of XO Communications, whose spectrum and fiber assets could be highly valuable for a dense 5G HetNet. But while the technology trials and the regulatory arguments over new airwaves dominate the headlines, they can also…