Integrated fiber-wireless networks: What, why and how

Recent popularization of video-centric handheld devices including smart phones and computer tablets has led to a sharp increase in the demand for wired and wireless data capacity and coverage towards the edge of modern communication networks. Since these devices are operated mostly from inside buildings, in-building coverage and capacity have also become critical components of wireless networks. But poor propagation of wireless signals inside buildings leads to significant performance degradation of wireless systems in terms of both coverage and capacity. As a result, a high density of antennas is needed to provide the required performance. Due to its inherent large bandwidth, optical fiber is ideally suited to provide flexible backbone infrastructure of high-capacity wireless networks. By employing analog radio-over-fiber signal transmission techniques, highly transparent fiber-wireless networks, which are ideal for multi-standard wireless system operation can be realized. We have demonstrated multiple simple techniques that may be used solve many technical challenges faced when analog signal transport is employed. Using simple and practical solutions, we have experimentally demonstrated ultra high-capacity radio-over-fiber systems operating at > 30 Gb/s.