Optical network architectures for dynamic reconfiguration of full duplex, multiwavelength, radio over fiber

In recent years there have been rapid advances in the techniques to generate and transport radio signals over optical fiber, but very little has been done to date to develop the concept of a full duplex, multiwavelength, radio-over-fiber network architecture that intrinsically supports and facilitates the dynamic reconfiguration of the wireless network. Recently the development of suitable architectures has received attention, with some approaches concentrating on the fiber radio link layer [ Fiber Integr. Opt. 19, 167 ( 2000)] and others focusing on the optical wavelength division multiplexing layer [ L. Lim et al., in International Topical Meeting on Microwave Photonics: MWP' 99 (IEEE, 1999), p. 127; also Fiber Opt. Business ( 15 November 2000)]. Here we present, for the first time to our knowledge, an approach that aims to vertically integrate the cellular radio layer, the fiber radio layer, the optical networking layer, and the physical layer to achieve a network architecture that enables the dynamic reconfiguration of the cellular wireless network layer. (C) 2006 Optical Society of America.