Progress in millimeter-wave fiber-radio access networks

Future radio access networks operating at millimeter-wave frequencies have the capacity to offer broad-band interactive services to a customer base requiring untethered access. Optical fiber-feed networks incorporating wavelength division multiplexing have been proposed as a backbone network providing full-duplex interconnectivity between multiple remote antenna base-stations and a central office implementing a variety of switching and routing functions. Rapid developments in both lightwave and microwave enabling technologies have fuelled an intense effort into the research and development of these networks. In this paper, we present a review of the progress of millimeter-wave fiber-radio networks in the areas of the associated enabling technologies, subsystems and system demonstrations.