M3VDS - 40 GHz Multichannel TV to the Home

Microwave distribution of multichannel entertainment TV direct to the home has received much recent attention, both from delivery system operators and from the Governments who licence their operations. The low microwave spectrum is congested, and much in demand for mobile communications. So, in the UK, Government has announced it will allocate 40.5-42.5 GHz for local delivery of multichannel TV from 1991 onwards. This contribution outlines the small-cell high-channel-capacity M3VDS concept, and shows that low-cost 40 GHz technology is now ready for use in the field. Development of monolithic gallium arsenide integrated circuits for the receivers, and the Demonstrator system established at Saxmundham in eastern England, are described. M3VDS will be the first large-scale communications application of millimetre-wave integrated circuits in Europe.