MVDS Overview - Regulations, Applications and Trials

This paper is intended to give a review of one of the now fast growing commercial applications of millimeter-wave wireless technology. Microwave Video Distribution System (MVDS) or some times known as Local Multipoint Distribution System (LMDS). The paper briefly summarises the origins of the concept in Europe and the USA, where the first standards and deployments concentrated on TV distribution. The paper also reviews the move towards interactive systems within the adaptation of the millimeter-wave technology to provide a Broband Access System (BAN) within a Full Service Network (FSN). Many trials have been implemented within Europe over the last few years with some early trial starters now in commercial rollout. The application and the business plans of the operators are now running ahead of the proposed standards, there are a number of both positive and negative effects of this including early adoption (positive?), little inter-operability between manufacturers equipment (negative?) The paper concludes that the emerging MVDS/LMDS is predicted to be worth $billions in the next 5-10 years, however the different business drivers between the operators mean that no single technology or standard will be capable of satisfying all the LMDS/MVDS market applications.