Pilot-aided estimation and equalisation of a radio-over-fibre system in wideband code division multiple access

In this study, the impact of a Radio-over-Fibre (RoF) subsystem on the capacity performance of wideband code division multiple access is evaluated. This study investigates the use of pilot-aided channel estimation to compensate for the optical subsystem non-linearities for different channel conditions, estimation intervals and coding schemes. The results show that pilot-aided channel estimation is an effective method for compensating the composite impairments of the optical subsystem and the radio frequency (RF) channel. It is found that there is always a suitable pilot power level which maximises the system capacity performance regardless of coding scheme and channel condition. Also, the peak capacity is only slightly affected by a decrease in the estimation interval.