Tokyo, June 17, 2024 NEC Corporation (NEC, TSE: 6701) has successfully developed and demonstrated an optical fiber radio system using a 1-bit fiber transmission method that can inexpensively build a stable millimeter wave communication network for Beyond 5G/6G. Using this method, high-frequency analog signals can be transmitted using inexpensive electrical-to-optical converters used for general-purpose digital communication, making it possible to realize small, low-cost distributed antenna units.
This makes it possible to create a stable millimeter wave communications environment at low cost, even in environments with many obstacles, such as high-rise buildings, underground shopping malls, factories, railways, and indoor facilities.
NEC will present its findings at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS2024), which will be held in Washington DC from June 16th (local time).
Development Background
High-speed wireless communications using millimeter wave technology are expected to be a key technology for Beyond 5G/6G. In particular, as approximately 80% of mobile communication traffic occurs indoors, millimeter wave is being investigated as an indoor solution.
However, because the millimeter wave band has large propagation loss and high linearity, it is essential to ensure line of sight between the base station and the terminal to ensure sufficient quality of service (QoS).It is known that an effective solution to these issues is to install distributed antenna units (DAs) at high density, which send and receive data directly to and from terminals while avoiding obstacles, but the size, power consumption, and cost required to install the required number of DAs are major issues.
To overcome these issues, NEC has developed Radio over Fiber (RoF) systems and related transmission methods.
