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Digital MMDS News Articles
HITRON Upgrades to 100 Channel Digital System
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The switch from analog to digital followed installation of an integrated digital headend and broadband, dual-redundant MMDS transmitters. The independent country of Papua New Guinea lies on the mineral rich island of New Guinea. The signal from the headend at Port Moresby feeds part of the city. On-frequency repeaters carry the signal to several remote areas.
Careful planning and execution of the switchover minimized disruption to any of the more than 10,000 system subscribers. The digital performance of the system, including the repeaters, was tested by transmitting a single 6 MHz digital carrier with the analog signals.
The headend and the CAS were installed and commissioned prior to selecting a switchover date. Several thousand digital Set Top Boxes were distributed to customers. System Manager Anne AMES set up four outdoor PC stations, an outdoor conainer store and an overhead tarp. Twelve assistants answered queries and assisted customers with channel package selection. Demand for the improved service caused customers to wait in line as long as 2 hours but the average wait was only 30 minutes. The digital take-up rate has been huge. According to HITRON’s Chief Operating Officer, Lindsay Jorgensen, “Cable AML’s system was crucial to the successful deployment of a state-of-the-art digital system that will enable our company to be at the forefront of high quality video service providers in Papua New Guinea for years to come.”UNIVISA upgrades to digital MMDS
Univisa, the largest MMDS Company in Ecuador, has recently completed the upgrade of two of its largest MMDS systems from Analog to Digital using Cable AML broadband high power transmitters.
Univisa had been operating for several years an analog MMDS system in Quito and Guayaquil, the two largest cities of Ecuador, and decided to upgrade to digital to increase the number of TV programs from 31 to more than 68.
The upgrade consisted of a digital Headend feeding a broadband 1000 Watt transmitter capable of reaching over 40 kilometers with a load of 10 digital carriers (60 to 80 TV programs) modulated in 64-QAM.
According to Ing. Angel Vacacela, “The switch-over from analog to digital went very well thanks to Cable AML’s assistance in identifying possible problems and issues ahead of time and preparing a comprehensive plan which included training at their facilities in Los Angeles.”
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Mexico Enters Digital MMDS Era
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Baja Cable has announced the launch of a digital MMDS service in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico. The launch marks what is believed to be the first operational deployment of a digital MMDS system in Mexico.
The service will reach fifty-two thousand households in an area of eight kilometer radius centered in the town of Tecate. The first operational phase starts with transmission of twenty-four TV programs, soon to be expanded to sixty, along with premium packages and pay-per-view. Total system capacity exceeds 120 TV programs. Wireless Internet and telephony services are planned for the near future.
The system was designed, fabricated, installed and commissioned in less than 45 days. The digital headend is located on a high hill 25 Kms from the MMDS transmitter. The digital headend signals are sent to the MMDS transmitter in Tecate via an AML broadband microwave link.
According to Jaime Bonilla, CEO of Baja cable, “Cable AML has delivered a state of the art system with excellent performance in record time. We are very pleased with the excellent customer support offered to our company during the acquisition, installation and commissioning process”.
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Cable AML Transmitter Powers Digital MMDS System In Brazil
ACOM Comunicações, the leading digital MMDS system operator in Brazil, has just installed two new Cable AML 1000 Watt broadband transmitters in São Luis and Volta Redonda respectively, to power the new digital MMDS service in these cities, adding to the four digital systems already operated by the company in Brazil. Two additional transmitters are being installed in September in two new cities.
The new systems are designed to provide service in an area of over 20 Km radius, and are located in cities with more than 20,000 TV households.
According to Carlos Barreiros, CEO of ACOM, “The Cable AML transmitter has made it possible to provide optimum coverage with a high quality product. We are very pleased with Cable AML’s technology and service and we plan to continue to use their products for the continued expansion of the digital TV service we are planning in Brazil”.
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Digital MMDS Re-Transmits at 55 Kms
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A digital MMDS system covering a range of approximately 30 Km radius from the main transmitter site at Renala in Pakistan has installed and commissioned a link to feed the same headend signal to a new transmitter at 55 Kms from the main headend.
The new 250 watt transmitter provides coverage to an area of approximately 20 Kms radius from the broadcast tower.
The repeater link was implemented by a broadband AML link fed directly from an MMDS pick-up antenna at the relay site at Ghamboor, about 30 Kms from the main transmitter site.
Omar Nazir, President and CEO of RANJA Enterprises, the operator of the state-of-the-art digital MDMS system, said, “The new link and transmitter have allowed our company to significantly expand its coverage footprint from the same centralized headend, significantly expanding our customer base without the expense of installing or operating a new headend. |
Repeaters Expand Coverage in Manaus Digital MMDS
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ACOM Communicacoes, the leading Digital MMDS Operator in Brazil, has started to expand the coverage area of the system in the city of Manaus by installing several one-way and two-way outdoor broadband repeaters.
The one-way repeaters provide digital TV service and are mounted in strategic locations selected to provide service in areas blocked by terrain or other obstacles.
The two-way repeaters provide broadband TV as well as wireless internet coverage in blocked areas.
Luiz Fernando Martins, Chief Engineer of ACOM commented that, “by physically separating the downstream from the upstream signals paths, the Cable AML repeaters provide flexibility in the deployment of TV and Wireless Internet services independent of each other and of the physical configuration of the relay site. This makes it much easier to find sites for the repeaters.”Digital MMDS System Powered by Cable AML Transmitters and Repeaters
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A digital MMDS system based in Gulang, Gansu province, People’s Republic of China, has been recently installed using Cable AML outdoor broadband transmitters and repeaters. The systems marks the first extensive use of outdoor MMDS transmitters and repeaters in a digital MMDS system.
The system, designed and installed by GS Enterprises, has a total reach of 100 Kms. A 4 Km fiber link connects the digital headend to the main transmitter, which is an outdoor 100-Watt unit providing service to an area of more than 50 Kms radius.
At 45 Kms from the main transmitter, an in-band point-to-point repeater link, implemented with an outdoor transmitter, trans-ports the signals from Heichong to Qingshansi, 20 Kms away. In the final leg of the system, an outdoor 50-Watt repeater is used to provide service to customers in an area of more than 35 Kms radius.
Cable AML’s technology has made it possible to implement digital MMDS systems at a fraction of the cost of channelized analog systems installed only a few years ago.
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MMDS System Upgrades Digital Repeaters
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Frequency-translating MMDS Repeaters from Cable AML were installed by the Caribbean Broad-casting Corporation in Barbados to mitigate interference between adjacent overlapping repeater cells within the service area of the digital MMDS system operating in the Island.
When the coverage area of adjacent repeaters overlaps, interference between repeater cells can present problems. Digital MMDS systems have less tolerance than analog systems for this type of same-frequency interference, so Maurice Bailey of CBC devised a frequency-shift scheme to eliminate interference by alternating the 9-carrier spectrum between adjacent repeaters. The subscriber set-tops are channel-mapped to select the appropriate channels in each repeater area and to ignore the undesired carriers.
Cable AML has provided CBC with several frequency-translating broadband repeaters to implement this solution in all areas where there is suspected overlap between repeater cells.
MVS Multivision Upgrades MMDS System in Pachuca
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MVS Multivision, the world’s largest MMDS operator, has upgraded the MMDS system in Pachuca (Hidalgo, Mexico) by installing a higher power transmitter module from Cable AML. Pachuca is a city about 90 Kms from Mexico City with a large and growing market for multichannel TV service. The city has an estimated 30,000 TV homes in an area of about 60 square kilometers.
The upgrade and expansion project consisted of installing a high-power amplifier module to increase the output power of an existing broadband transmitter to a total of 500 Watts. Additional channels were also added to provide full 31-channel service. “With the new transmitter, an excellent quality picture is delivered to the entire metropolitan areas aid Engineer David Velazquez of MVS Multivision.
Digital MMDS System Deployed in Pakistan
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Cable AML announced in June of 2005 the deployment of a digital MMDS system with 54 channels of full digital video in Okara Province in the North East of Pakistan. The system was commissioned by Ranja Enterprises of Lahore and has been in commercial operation ever since. It reaches subscribers in a 35 Kms radius from the main headend, an area with more than 40,000 potential subscribers.
The deployment consists of a fully integrated digital headend including CAS (Conditional Access System) to prevent unauthorized reselling of programming content and to provide multiple program tiers. The system includes a broadband base station transmitter and associated transmission equipment.
The system is designed to be easily expanded to provide wireless Internet service as soon as the regulatory authorities provide the permits.
Omar Nazir, CEO of Ranja Enterprises selected Cable AML’s system because of the superior technology and Cable AML’s ability to provide the system as a turnkey solution, with full integration of the headend, transmission and subscriber hardware and software.
Following the smooth system installation and excellent operating results, Omar Nazir said “we are so pleased with the system that we have started planning to provide the service to several cities that are as far as 60 Kilometers from the base station”.
Cable AML Transmitter Powers Digital MMDS System in Brazil
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ACOM Comunicacoes, the leading Digital MMDS system operator in Brazil, has just installed a new Cable AML 1000 Watt broadband transmitter in Manaus, to improve its digital MMDS service in this city.
ACOM has other 3 digital systems in operation in Brazil. The new system in Manaus is designed to provide service in an area of over 20 Km radius with more than 200,000 TV households.
Cable AML is also providing a number of two-way repeaters, which will enable ACOM to offer service in shadowed areas where there was no previous service available.
According to Mario de Paula, CEO of ACOM, “the Cable AML transmitter has made it possible to provide optimum coverage with a high quality product. We are very pleased with Cable AML’s technology and service and we plan to continue to use their products for the continued expansion of digital TV service we are planning in Brazil”.
CBC Upgrades Digital MMDS Repeaters
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Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation, a leading digital MMDS operator on Barbados, is in the process of upgrading a number of repeaters to improve the overall signal quality, particularly to areas blocked from the mountaintop transmitter by mountains and other obstacles.
The repeater upgrade is being implemented using high-reliability Cable AML equipment. The high-power indoor repeaters are replacing older units from another manufacturer originally installed when the system was only analog. The repeater sites include a lighthouse and building roofs.
Fields engineers from Cable AML assisted CBC’s experienced technical staff during installation and repeater site performance optimization. Glyne Husbands, Executive Engineer of CDC is very pleased with both the equipment and the field engineering assistance provided by Cable AML. He said “Cable AML has improved signal coverage and quality in the areas served by the repeaters, and as a result CDC is planning to continue the repeater upgrade program to bring top quality digital signals to all parts of the Island.”
MMDS System Upgraded From Analog to Digital
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Cable AML has concluded the upgrade of an analog MMDS system, increasing program capacity six-fold and at the same time providing signal security. The system is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The system can now transmit 6 TV programs in the single 6 MHz slot previously occupied by one analog program.
Cable AML provided an integrated system consisting of a digital headend with integrated CAS (Conditional Access System), upgraded the existing STL (Studio to Transmitter Link) that transmits the signal from the TV studio to the transmitter site in Beverly Hills, and provided a new broadband MMDS transmitter and all of the subscriber set-top boxes.
Digital MMDS System Debuts in Pakistan
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Ranja Enterprises of Lahore, Pakistan, last month installed a digital MMDS system in Okara Province of Pakistan.
The system is going to be installed in three phases. The first phase included a DHM-6001 digital headend module, the output of which feeds a 250 Watt broadband transmitter. The DHM-6001 is capable of digitally encoding six TV programs and then multiplexing them into a single carrier which is modulated with 64-QAM.
In the second phase, eight additional DHM-6001 units will increase the number of TV programs in the system to 54. The third and final phase of the project will add wireless Internet access, using the same broadband transmitter for the downstream and an MDS band receiver for the upstream.
The system uses an omnidirectional antenna on a 60 meter tower and is providing coverage at distances beyond 40 km, as witnessed by Ch. Omar Nazir, CEO of Ranja Enterprises.
Installation and commissioning of the system was accomplished in less than 48 hours from the time he equipment arrived in Pakistan, according to Jehangir Khan, Director of Operations for Ranja Enterprises, who was assisted by Zulfiqar Ali of Media Engineering (Pvt.) Ltd., Cable AML’s representative in Pakistan.
Terrestrial 23GHz Digital TV System
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News of the trial system was also reported by the local newspaper (Hokuritsu Chunichi Shibun), which said that the system has been approved for a trial phase until March 2005, pending final approval by the Japanese Government.
The wireless CATV system was designed and manufactured by Cable AML for V-Network Systems. It includes a digital headend based on the DHM-4001 module. The headend signal is fed to a solid state broadband transmitter integrated with 90 degree sector antennas. Subscribers use roof-mounted receivers with parabolic dish antennas 24 cm in diameter.
Coverage extends to 2.5 km from the base station. System range was verified with fixed and mobile equipment. An antenna was successfully mounted on a van to verify coverage over the whole area.
According to V-Network Systems, the system cost is estimated to be 67% lower than other options currently available and could be further reduced as volume increases.
Production Contract For 12 GHz Digital Broadcast System Awarded to Cable AML
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Cable AML has been awarded a production contract for a state-of-the-art 12 GHz digital broadband broadcast system. The system includes multi-channel transmitters, repeaters, and sector antennas for a terrestrial (ground-based) DTH (Direct to Home) national network. The transmitters were designed to receive an input signal directed from a multi-carrier, QPSK-modulated C-Band satellite feed and locally modulated carriers. They are integrated with high performance sector antennas, making it possible to broadcast up to eleven MPEG-2 carriers simultaneously. The systems initial program capacity is 60 to 100 video and related data cast programs depending on the compression ratio.
The system includes several master transmitter sites and makes extensive use of "on frequency" repeaters to extend the geographical reach of the signal to the maximum number of subscriber. Cable AML's cutting edge broadband technology has made it possible to implement "in-band trunking" extensively. In-band trunking is a technique that allows the same frequency to be used for the transport and broadcast of the multi-channel TV signals. While the system's engineering design challenge is significantly greater with in-band trunking, there are very significant benefits: a) the system is utilized more efficiently, b) the system can be deployed incrementally, and c) the network deployment cost was reduced significantly compared to conventional trunking alternatives.
The new system will make it possible to deliver digital multi-channel TV to line-of-sight subscribers, whose customer-premises equipment (CPE) consists of an outdoor, integrated antenna-LNB (Low Noise Block converter) and a conventional Set Top Box. Terrestrial DTH is an extremely cost-effective method of digital multi-channel TV delivery to a large customer base, according to Cable AML's customer, who has requested anonymity for competitive reasons.