Non-Standalone 5G NR FiWi System Based on a Photonic Integrated Multi-Wavelength Transmitter

This letter presents a non-standalone 5G new radio (NR) multiband fiber-wireless (FiWi) system implemented using an integrated multi-wavelength transmitter with direct modulation. In this system, three 4G/5G RF signals are simultaneously transported over a 12.5-km long radio over fiber (RoF) link, before being amplified and radiated: a 20-MHz 5G NR signal at 788 MHz; five 20-MHz LTE subcarriers at 2.6 GHz; a 100-MHz 5G NR signal at 3.5 GHz. Wireless transmissions through a 10-m long indoor picocell-like link and a 115-m long realistic outdoor wireless link are demonstrated. All 4G and 5G received signals comply with the 3GPP Release 15 requirements, in terms of EVMRMS, except for 16 QAM at 3.5 GHz on the 115-m link. Experimental results demonstrate a total throughput of 1.36 Gbit/s and 230 Mbit/s on the 10-m and 115-m scenarios, respectively.

Automated summary

This study implemented a non-standalone 5G NR multiband fiber-wireless system using an integrated multi-wavelength transmitter with direct modulation, successfully transporting three 4G/5G RF signals and demonstrating wireless transmissions indoors and outdoors.