Transmission of 10 Gbps C-band-signal-based Radio Over Fiber for Next Generation Communication Systems

Abstract

Rapid development of 5G networks encourages researchers to improve the radio-over-fiber (RoF) technique in order to reach 10 Gbps data transmission rates, to increase bandwidth and range, while reducing latency and implementation cost. This paper evaluates an analog radio-over-fiber (ARoF) technique that is compatible with long-distance communication systems. We demonstrate a long distance transmission of a 28 GHz 64 QAM signal via a single mode fiber (SMF) after modulating it with the use of two parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators, without any optical amplifiers. The results show that our prototype solution is capable of transferring data over distances of up to 140 km, via SMF, with a 10 Gbps data rate. The error vector magnitude (EVM) was found to be 7.709%. The proposed system offers exceptional capabilities in terms of supporting high bitrates, while ensuring that EVM remains within the 3GPP limits. Compared to other works, the proposed solution proves to be superior in terms of performance, making it an ideal choice for next generation long-haul communication systems.