Fiber-Wireless IFoF/mmWave Analog Fronthaul using SCM and Centralized DSP
15 June 2019
A 5G-compatible Analog RoF-based Mobile Fronthaul architecture with Centralized Baseband Units and DSP-free Radio Units is presented. Using DSP assisted techniques for components impairments mitigation and Digital Subcarrier Multiplexing schemes, IFoF with commercial optoelectronic components and 60 GHz radio equipment, we experimentally demonstrate fiber-wireless V-band transmission. An aggregate capacity up to 24 Gb/s is achieved with a 6-band 1 Gbaud 16-QAM on a 7.2 GHz analog bandwidth. Flexible format assignment on each carrier exhibited 18 Gb/s connectivity for both uplink and downlink directions. By further introducing integrated photonic components on the IFoF optical transceivers, 16 Gb/s aggregate capacity is showcased on a 7 km fiber and 5 m wireless channel. Single Carrier IFoF/mmWave transmission using EML-based transmitter exhibits robust performance for fiber links up to 25 km.
