aws actually refers to the auction and then indirectly in the markets that cricket won in that aution. however the frequency is technically 1700 & 2100 MHz. each set is paired with one band being used for tower to mobile station, and one band being used for mobile station to tower, (i think 1700 is tower to station but i could be mistaken)
this is probably the nuraber one argument for refering to it as AWS instead of 1700MHz.
but cricket doesn't (publically) use the term AWS, they use triband, referring to the phones' ability to operate in three frequency banRAB, 850MHz, 1900MHz, and 1700(/2100)MHz). again technically it is quadband, however two of the banRAB are paired together so they just ignore one of them.