MDS America
Encyclopedia
MDS America, Inc is a wireless Internet and wireless cable TV technology provider based in Stuart, Florida
. MDS America was the primary party responsible for the invalidation of Northpoint Technology Inc's patents having to do with terrestrial rebroadcast of satellite signals.
MDS Operations, an affiliated company, participated in recent auctions in 2005 and 2006 held by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) of the frequency band of 12.2 - 12.7 GHz
, which it christened MVDDS
.
The MVDDS system uses similar spectrum to a DBS
(Direct Broadcast Satellite) system, and is capable of operating at the same frequencies without interference. The MDSA two-way system competes against satellite internet access
; the shorter round trip distance of only a few hundred kilometers reduces the latency compared with a geostationary satellite's 44,000 mile 250ms latency. The MDSA system has the disadvantage of requiring infrastructure closer to the user - a satellite can cover a significant proportion of the country, instead of the maximum 200km radius of an MDSA base station. However since the MDSA signal can be sectorized, MDSA's bandwidth, unlike that of satellite, can be multiplied in most geographical areas. For video distribution, this means that local channels and local advertising can be injected into the signal, unlike with DBS satellite systems.
MDS America Inc. (MDSA) built the first Terrestrial Digital Television distribution system in Ireland.
As well MDS America has built the largest MVDDS systems in the world, including the 700 channel capacity system in the United Arab Emirates.
1. MDSI and Mr. Ducasse "is required to state clearly on its website that it does not serve the United States."
2. "the Settlement Agreement that makes MDSA the sole owner of the rights to the HyCanC technology."
Stuart, Florida
Stuart is the only incorporated city of Martin County, Florida, on Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 14,633 at the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 15,964....
. MDS America was the primary party responsible for the invalidation of Northpoint Technology Inc's patents having to do with terrestrial rebroadcast of satellite signals.
MDS Operations, an affiliated company, participated in recent auctions in 2005 and 2006 held by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) of the frequency band of 12.2 - 12.7 GHz
GHZ
GHZ or GHz may refer to:# Gigahertz .# Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state — a quantum entanglement of three particles.# Galactic Habitable Zone — the region of a galaxy that is favorable to the formation of life....
, which it christened MVDDS
MVDDS
MVDDS ' is a type of television and Internet delivery technology licensed for use in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . This was subsequently tested by The MITRE Corporation for the FCC...
.
Technology
The receiver of MDSA's system uses a technology that is patented under US patent number 7,286,795.The MVDDS system uses similar spectrum to a DBS
Direct broadcast satellite
Direct broadcast satellite is a term used to refer to satellite television broadcasts intended for home reception.A designation broader than DBS would be direct-to-home signals, or DTH. This has initially distinguished the transmissions directly intended for home viewers from cable television...
(Direct Broadcast Satellite) system, and is capable of operating at the same frequencies without interference. The MDSA two-way system competes against satellite internet access
Satellite Internet access
Satellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through low Earth orbit satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world...
; the shorter round trip distance of only a few hundred kilometers reduces the latency compared with a geostationary satellite's 44,000 mile 250ms latency. The MDSA system has the disadvantage of requiring infrastructure closer to the user - a satellite can cover a significant proportion of the country, instead of the maximum 200km radius of an MDSA base station. However since the MDSA signal can be sectorized, MDSA's bandwidth, unlike that of satellite, can be multiplied in most geographical areas. For video distribution, this means that local channels and local advertising can be injected into the signal, unlike with DBS satellite systems.
MDS America Inc. (MDSA) built the first Terrestrial Digital Television distribution system in Ireland.
As well MDS America has built the largest MVDDS systems in the world, including the 700 channel capacity system in the United Arab Emirates.
Northpoint Technology Ltd
MDSA was sued by Northpoint Technology Ltd., on the grounds of patent infringement (US Patents #5,761,605 and #6,169,878.) MDSA contended that the patents that Northpoint had been granted were invalid since the patents essentially covered attributes of a satellite dish and Northpoint had not invented satellite dishes. In 2004, a jury in Federal Court in Ft. Pierce, Florida invalidated both asserted Northpoint patents on four separate grounds . This court case and subsequent invalidation of Northpoint's patents opened the way for the auctioning of MVDDS spectrum.Northpoint Appeal
The above case was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. On June 28, 2005, the court AFFIRMED the findings of the lower court permanently invalidating both patents.MDSI & Jean Claude Ducasse
Shortly after this MDSA's subsidiary company MDS International and Mr. Jean-Claude Ducasse were found to be in contempt of court for violation of a settlement agreement. Although the agreement is sealed, the Contempt of court order is not and is publicly available. This Contempt order reveals that:1. MDSI and Mr. Ducasse "is required to state clearly on its website that it does not serve the United States."
2. "the Settlement Agreement that makes MDSA the sole owner of the rights to the HyCanC technology."
Management
- Kirk KirkpatrickKirk KirkpatrickHarold W. "Kirk" Kirkpatrick is the founder and CEO of MDS America Inc. Corporation, a telecommunications services company that designs, manufactures, installs, and maintains proprietary Digital Wireless Broadcasting systems for telecommunications operators worldwide.- Information systems...
: Founder, President, and CEO - Allen Quinn: Exec. Vice President and COO
- Grigory Kholodkov: Chief Engineer MDSA
- Fabrice Ducasse: Vice President, Sales and Marketing
- Gopiballava Flaherty: CIO