On the merging of millimeter-wave fiber-radio backbone with 25-GHz WDM ring networks

We present an optical modulation and distribution scheme that incorporates subcarrier-multiplexed (SCM) transport with remote local oscillator (LO) delivery for a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) fiber-radio backbone driving a sectorized antenna interface. The proposed method is compatible with a standard wavelength-division multiplexing infrastructure with a 25-GHz channel spacing. We also characterize the profiles and bandwidths of the optical filters, which are essential for the adding and dropping of the 25-GHz signal block and the optical extraction of the LO signal. The placement of the LO signal within the 25-GHz band is investigated and its effect on the filter bandwidth requirements and system performance quantified. The performance of a ring incorporating the distribution scheme is evaluated via simulation. It is established that a compromise must be made between the feasibility of the required filters and the incurred penalty due to intermodulation distortions from adjacent blocks.