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arXiv · 2111.13851

Analogue Radio Over Fiber for Next-Generation RAN: Challenges and Opportunities

Yichuan Li·Qijie Xie·Mohammed El-Hajjar·Lajos Hanzo
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Abstract

The radio access network (RAN) connects the users to the core networks, where typically digitised radio over fiber (D-RoF) links are employed. The data rate of the RAN is limited by the hardware constraints of the D-RoF-based backhaul and fronthaul. In order to break this bottleneck, the potential of the analogue radio over fiber (A-RoF) based RAN techniques are critically appraised for employment in the next-generation systems, where increased-rate massive multiple-input-multiple-output (massive-MIMO) and millimeter wave (mmWave) techniques will be implemented. We demonstrate that huge bandwidth and power-consumption cost benefits may accrue upon using A-RoF for next-generation RANs. We provide an overview of the recent A-RoF research and a performance comparison of A-RoF and D-RoF, concluding with further insights on the future potential of A-RoF.

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Yichuan Li, Qijie Xie, Mohammed El-Hajjar, Lajos Hanzo. 2021-11-27. Analogue Radio Over Fiber for Next-Generation RAN: Challenges and Opportunities. https://arxiv.org/abs/2111.13851

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