MMDS News Articles

MMDS broadband repeater meets Multivision’s needs in Bolivia

A new, 200-Watt broadband MMDS Repeater was recently installed and commissioned by Multivision to provide MMDS coverage in the area of Quillacollo, 14 Kms from Cochabamba in Bolivia. A broadband, 100 Watt transmitter delivers the signal from the Headend to the new repeater. The system currently operates with 62 analog channels but will soon upgrade entirely to digital. The new repeaters will not require modifications when the switch-over to digital takes place in the near future.

All Cable AML’s transmitters and repeaters support analog signals, digital signals or both simultaneously. Multivision uses Cable AML repeaters at many of its repeater sites. Another 200 Watt repeater has operated continuously without incident for the last 5 years.

TV ZAC expands MMDS Systems

TV ZAC, the fastest growing MMDS operator in Mexico and perhaps in the world, has continued to expand coverage by installing a stand-alone broadband MMDS transmitter in the city of Rio Grande, at the northern corner of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico.

Rio Grande, a city of population 60,000 is the sixth city to have MMDS service in the state of Zacatecas (central Mexico). In addition to the system at Rio Grande, TV ZAC is installing a broadband repeater to provide coverage to the city of Villa de Cos from the existing headend at Fresnillo, 54 Kms away and two broadband repeaters to expand coverage near the main transmitter in the city of Zacatecas.

TV ZAC General Manager, Licenciado Francisco Aguirre said, “Cable AML continues to provide TV ZAC with MMDS equipment of the highest quality and reliability.”

TV ZAC Expands MMDS Coverage

TV ZAC, the fastest growing MMDS operator in Mexico, has recently implemented a significant expansion of the coverage area of the Zacatecas-Fresnillo MMDS system by installing a 250-Watt Repeater in Veta Grande, near the city of Zacatecas, and also relocating the Fresnillo transmitter to higher ground.

The new repeater expands the coverage area of the Zacatecas system by providing coverage to Calera and several communities near Calera, with a combined potential market of more than five thousand TV homes. The repeater is temporarily fed from another 30-Watt Repeater installed for this purpose on the La Virgen hill, the highest mountain in the vicinity of Zacatecas. 

The new location for the 500-Watt transmitter provides expanded coverage north of the Fresnillo valley to a distance of more than 25 Kms.  A broadband microwave link operating in the 13 GHz band was installed to interconnect the Fresnillo headend with the new transmitter location.

According to Francisco Aguirre, General Manager of TV ZAC, “The expanded system coverage is providing excellent signal to several communities which had no multi-channel TV service of any kind. These communities can now have the same high-quality multi-channel TV programming offered to subscribers in the capital city of Zacatecas”.

MMDS System Debuts in Monrovia (Liberia)

An integrated MMDS system was installed and deployed in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia (West Africa), in time for its inauguration prior to the World Soccer Cup.

The system has an initial capacity of 31 analog channels and is ready for an upgrade to digital. With a range of 20 Kms, it provides state-of-the-art multichannel TV service to an area of several thousand potential subscribers.

The deployment consists of a fully integrated headend including an encoding system to prevent unauthorized reselling of programming content. The encoding system also offers the possibility of multiple program tiers. The system was provided on a “turn-key” basis and includes a broadband transmitter and associated transmission equipment, as well as subscriber reception and decoding equipment.

Salleh Hawaidi, President of Nanasat, said  “We are extremely pleased with the quick delivery and installation of the system, as well as the excellent quality of the signals provided to our customers.

New MMDS System in Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico

A new MMDS system has been designed, procured and installed by Mexican Cable Operator, Megacable in Nuevo Casas Grandes, an important city in the state of Chihuahua (Mexico). The system is powered by a Cable AML broadband 500 Watt broadband transmitter.

The system provides multichannel TV subscription service to an area of more than 100 square kilometers using scrambled analog signals. The transmitter is digital-ready in anticipation of converting the system to digital in the future.

According to Francisco Sandoval, Manager Technical Services of Megacable, “The system was installed in very little time and has been working perfectly since day one. In less than one month we have more than 1000 subscribers and the number continues to increase at a high rate. We have been operating an older channelized MMDS system in another city, and this is our first experience with a broadband system.  We are very pleased with the results in terms of the quality of the pictures, the ease of installation and operation and the savings from the lower power consumption at the transmitter site.”

Indoor Transmitter Improves Reliability of MMDS System

Ramiro Lobecio, General Manager of CCV in Carmelo, Uruguay, decided to upgrade his MMDS system with an Indoor 100 Watt transmitter from Cable AML, replacing outdoor units from another manufacturer that had reliability problems.

Said Mr. Lobecio, “We installed the transmitter and met with total success. The equipment did not give us any problems, all we did is to connect it to 220 VAC and feed the input signal at the correct level. The pictures are perfect. We are very happy with the purchase of the Cable AML equipment”.

MMDS System Expands with 250 Watt Repeater

Rio Vision of San Luis Colorado, Sonora, Mexico has initiated a system expansion by installing a high power repeater at 30 Kms from the main transmitter to provide service to two new markets.

The repeater signal is fed from a point-to-point link powered by the main MMDS transmitter, which was simultaneously upgraded from 250 to 500 Watts.

A 60-meter tower is used for both the point-to-point repeater input antenna and the repeater output cardioid antenna.

The system expansion will provide service to more than 4,000 homes in two main cities without any previous access to multichannel TV service.

World’s Largest MMDS Operator Expands Again With Cable AML Transmitters

MVS Multivision, the world’s largest MMDS operator, has selected Cable AML to provide transmitter systems for its latest expansion into eighteen additional cities in Mexico.

Seven transmitter systems were delivered in the last quarter of 2004 and eleven additional units are being fabricated for delivery in early 2005. When the last delivery is completed, MVS Multivision will be operational in thirty-one major new markets throughout Mexico.

Cable AML provided broadband transmitters integrated with coherent modulators. The systems have been designed to allow for incremental field upgrades in the future, when it becomes necessary to increase transmitter power for increased coverage range.

New MMDS Transmitter Installed In Zacatecas

The city of Zacatecas, capital of the state of Zacatecas, has expanded MMDS service and improved quality by installing a new broadband high-power transmitter from Cable AML, which has replaced an older transmitter.

The transmitter covers an area with more than 40,000 homes and feeds several repeaters that provide coverage to shadow areas, common in the region due to the hilly terrain.

According to Armando Carrillo, President of Zacatecas TV, the choice of Cable AML equipment was very easy to make because of the exceptional results obtained with three previous MMDS systems installed by Cable AML in the area, systems that have been operating flawlessly.

MMDS Repeater System Provides Service In Guadalupe

An MMDS repeater was installed in the city of Guadalupe to extend the service range of the Zacatecas MMDS transmitter.

According to Armando Carrillo, President of Zacatecas TV, a single low-cost repeater can provide service to an additional 8,000 households previously lacking any multichannel TV service, making the installation a very cost effective investment.

The indoor repeater was installed in a specially constructed enclosure on top of a residential building and went into operation immediately following installation.

Fiber Feeds MMDS Transmitter in Panama

A 100 Watt MMDS transmitter fed by a 33 km fiber link has been installed in Panama by Cable ONDA, the leading cable television and MMDS provider in Panama. The transmitter was installed at Cerro Azul, near Panama City, replacing a repeater which did not provide sufficiently high quality signals.

In addition to the MMDS transmitter, Cable AML provided an integrated secondary mini-headend to modulate the encoded MMDS channels at VHF at a frequency and signal level consistent with fiber transport.

This headend feeds an 8.5 km analog fiber link which transports the encoded MMDS signals to Cable ONDA’s main headend for monitoring, from where they are fed into the 33 km fiber linking the Main Headend with the MMDS transmitter site at Cerro Azul.

MVS Television Selects Cable AML For Broadband MMDS Deployment

MVS Comunicaciones, the world’s leading MMDS operator, has initiated deployment of Cable AML’s broadband MMDS systems to deliver high-quality TV service to millions of potential subscribers in several cities in Mexico. MVS holds the MMDS (2.5 - 2.686 GHz) spectrum covering 70% of Mexico’s 97 million residents and is implementing a 12-city nationwide rollout throughout Mexico .

“Mexico is the largest MMDS market in the world, and MVS is the largest MMDS operator in the world today” stated Ernesto Vargas, President of MVS Television. “We selected Cable AML’s.

MMDS transmitters because of their proven performance and their superiority in the areas of critical concern to us, namely coverage, capacity, and capital cost.”

MVS has expanded MMDS coverage in 9 cities: Acapulco, Culiacan, Durango, Hermosillo, Mazatlan, Mexicali, Morelia, Poza Rica y Tijuana.

By employing a modular design, Cable AML’s broadband MMDS transmitters can be easily tailored to match different output power requirements for different markets. By incorporating state of the art linearization and frequency locking technology, the transmitters deliver a high quality signal providing complete high quality coverage over wide metropolitan areas.

San Luis Colorado Launches New MMDS System

A 31-channel MMDS service was successfully launched in San Luis Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. The state-of-the-art system was designed and manufactured by Cable AML. It includes a 31 channel headend with addressability integrated with a high power broadband transmitter.

RioVision, who built a brand new building in the center of the city to house the headend and the transmitter, provides the MMDS service. The system is reporting a very successful launch, adding new customers at a very high rate.

New Low-Cost Outdoor Active Repeater

Cable AML has started deliveries of a new low-cost broadband repeater designed to provide cost-effective MMDS coverage to areas in the shadow of the main transmitter. With an appropriate transmit antenna, the repeater can re-transmit the input signal to a distance of up to 5 km. The repeater will operate with up to 31 channels of analog video or up to 31 digital video carriers with analog or digital modulation (64 QAM or OFDM).

The OAR02-008 Repeater is designed to be installed outdoors so as to reduce losses from the cable connecting it to the output antenna.

The repeater features a weatherproof LNA designed to be mounted at or near the input or receive antenna. The LNA is powered through the coaxial cable connecting it to the output section, which is mounted near the transmit antenna. The output section contains the microwave AGC circuit, driver amplifier and power amplifier all packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor mounting.

The Repeater is powered by 120 - 240 VAC in its standard configuration. Other AC and DC powering options are available by special request.

High Power Broadband 67 Channel MMDS Repeater

Two broadband MMDS repeaters, each with capacity for 67 analog video channels in the 2272 to 2674 MHz band, have been delivered to Multivision S.A. and installed in La Paz, Bolivia.

The broadband high power repeaters are providing service to areas shaded from the main transmitters by mountains. They provide a high quality signal at distances of up to 10 miles (16 kilometers).

Cable AML Installs More MMDS Systems In Mexico

Cable AML continues to install new broadband MMDS systems in Mexico at an increasing pace. The systems, which typically include integrated headends, are designed to provide competitive multichannel pay TV service to medium-size towns with limited or no multichannel TV service other than satellite.

Broadband technology pioneered by Cable AML makes it possible to install MMDS systems at a fraction of the cost of  of previously available channelized systems.  

Both of the systems shown in the photographs use a 250-watt broadband transmitter and an omni-directional antenna to provide 31 channels of analog video.

The system on the right was installed in the city of Las Sabinas (Coahuila, Mexico) and the one on the left was installed in Valparaiso (Zacatecas, Mexico). Cable AML assisted in the installation of the system and provided on-site installer training.

Both systems started operations immediately following the installation and report substantial monthly increases in subscribers.

Cable AML Installs More MMDS Systems In Mexico

Cable AML continues to install new broadband MMDS systems in Mexico at an increasing pace. The systems, which typically include integrated headends, are designed to provide competitive multichannel pay TV service to medium-size towns with limited or no multichannel TV service other than satellite.

Broadband technology pioneered by Cable AML makes it possible to install MMDS systems at a fraction of the cost of  of previously available channelized systems.  

Both of the systems shown in the photographs use a 250-watt broadband transmitter and an omni-directional antenna to provide 31 channels of analog video.

The system on the right was installed in the city of Las Sabinas (Coahuila, Mexico) and the one on the left was installed in Valparaiso (Zacatecas, Mexico). Cable AML assisted in the installation of the system and provided on-site installer training.

Both systems started operations immediately following the installation and report substantial monthly increases in subscribers.

Cable AML Installs MMDS Systems In Mexico

Cable AML has successfully installed and turned on services for two new broadband MMDS systems in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.

The systems, which include integrated headends, provide multichannel pay TV service to two medium-size towns with limited or no multichannel TV service.

The system in the town of Jerez uses a 250-watt broadband transmitter and an omni directional antenna to provide 31 channels of analog video to a distance of 10 kilometers. Cable AML assisted in the installation of the system and provided on-site installer training.

The system in the neighboring town of Fresnillo includes a more powerful 500-watt transmitter. The coverage range for the same channel loading is 15 kilometers.

Cable AML Expands MMDS System with Extra Channel Capacity

Cable AML has delivered to Grenada Wireless a system designed for delivery of multi-channel video in the 2.500 to 2.780 GHz frequency range. The system operates over a 280 MHz wide bandwidth, more than the standard US bandwidth of 186 MHz, which makes it possible to provide 46 channels of analog video. Cable AML's design, incorporating broadband transmitters and repeaters, makes it possible to use the system with either analog video or digital video.

Located in the Caribbean country of Grenada, the system includes an AML backbone to feed a series of MMDS broadband transmitters and repeaters. The first transmitter was installed in 1999. Following the initial phase, Cable AML recently delivered the hardware required for a system expansion to cover the most highly populated sections of the country.

Due to the highly mountainous topography of the island, a cellular system design concept was implemented in order to provide coverage to many communities that cannot be reached from a single high point on the island.

The system design is modular in that the use of a broadband AML backbone for multi-carrier transport makes it possible to offer not only analog and digital video service but also to upgrade for two-way data by simply adding upstream AML capability to the existing network.

The system illustrates Cable AML's capability to design systems with different frequencies and bandwidths than those available in the US. This allows operators to take advantage of practically any frequency range available for either multi-channel video delivery or two-way data systems.

Terrestrial Digital System A Success

Cable AML's 12 GHz Digital Broadband Broadcast transmitters were used to provide live pictures of The America's Cup yacht racing to the Cup Village at Auckland's Viaduct Basin in New Zealand, where the contestants lived and prepared their yachts.

The digital signals are broadcast from Auckland's 280 meter Sky Tower, and are received using Ku band digital receivers in the World Cup Village.  The transmitter is located on the 61st floor of the tower at a height of 220 meters and the antennas are another 60 meters above that.  Coaxial cable is used for the initial 10 meters to get into the tower core, where a circular waveguide carries it 60 meters straight up to the transmit antenna.  Sectorized custom-patterned high-gain antennas were provided by Cable AML to match optimize coverage by matching the required azimuth radiation pattern.

The transmitters have been developed in conjunction with the transmission arm of TVNZ, Broadcast Communications LTD.  They have the ability to broadcast more than 70 channels of digital video and/or data.  The current system configuration uses multi-carrier MPEG-II video with QPSK modulation.

Cable AML has developed and delivered the digital transmitters, antennas, in-band repeaters, and AGC (Automatic Gain Control) units for the state-of-the-art system.

Cable AML Helps Bring MMDS to Shanxi Province

Homes in many parts of China's Shanxi Province have been receiving multi-channel television programming since 1996 thanks to MMDS transmitters produced by Cable AML.  

Beginning in 1996, Taiyuan Yatai Electronics Group Company, Ltd., under the management of Mr.Su Fuming, installed MMDS systems using broadband transmitters from Cable AML in three of the province's smaller cities. This has enabled homes in the rural areas around these cities to receive cable television programming.  

A 500 watt ITX02-250 transmitter installed in the Microwave Transmission Center of the TV & Broadcast Bureau of Yuci City serves 12,600 subscribers by transmitting 20 PAL-DTV programs to subscribers as far as 25 Km. from the transmitter.   

A 250 watt ITX02-250 transmitter installed at the TV & Broadcast Bureau of the ancient city of Pingyao services 9,600 subscribers within a 20 Km. radius with 16 PAL-DTV programs.   

From Jiexiu City, the TV & Broadcast Bureau transmit 16 PAL-DTV programs over 20 Km. to 7,600 subscribers using an ITX02-250 transmitter, as well.   

There are over thirty programs in Mandarin originating in China available from satellites. There are many other programs off satellite that interest the Chinese subscribers, including some that are not in Mandarin. A single headend with TVRO's can provide these additional programs at a very low cost-per-subscriber by using MMDS technology. In some cases, one downconverter serves many homes through a mini-CATV system not unlike an MATV system.  

Cable AML broadband MMDS transmitters were the natural choice due to the simplicity of their design and their reputation for reliability