Broadband Access Using Wireless Over Multimode Fiber Systems

Abstract

With the growing need for low cost wireless over fiber systems the use of multimode fiber (MMF) has become of greater interest. The well known advantages of optical fiber as a transmission medium such as low loss, light weight, large bandwidth characteristics and small size make it the most flexible solution for transporting radio signals to remotely located antenna sites where coverage is required. To provide reliable indoor cellular and wireless local area network (WLAN) coverage without dependence on the radio penetration from outside base stations, it is highly desirable that the same MMF infrastructure be used to carry additional services between the equipment room and the remote antenna units around the building. One of the main benefits of using the wireless over fiber technique is the inherent transparency to the transported wireless signals. This allows configuring the system for a range of both wireless and cellular services to be combined to transmit simultaneously. Hence, it is highly desirable to invest in a multiservice broadband remoting infrastructure which is capable of handling both current and future RF systems. In this paper we present an overview of some of the latest technologies for wireless over multimode fiber systems.