An overview of radio-over-fiber network technology

Current trends for future provision of broadband, interactive and multimedia services over wireless media in both mobile and fixed cellular networks are- 1) to reduce cell size to accommodate more users and 2) to operate in the microwave/millimeter wave (mm-wave) frequency bands to avoid spectral congestion in the lower frequency bands. The development of a cost-effective Base Station (BSs) is a key to be success in the market. Radio-over-fiber (RoF) technology is a promising solution for this requirement. This technique involves modulating the radio frequency (RF) subcarrier onto an optical carrier for distribution over a fiber network. Optical fibers are attractive for RoF systems due to the following characteristics: very high bandwidth, low loss, immune to EMI, light weight, small cross section, low cost, and high flexibility. Such an advantageous system will be presented throughout this paper including the backgrounds, architectures, benefits and limitations, and its milestone.