Architectural alternatives of wireless access through hybrid fiber/coax distribution plant

Due to the smaller microcell size, a limited distance transmission on the coaxial distribution plant is still required when using the hybrid fiber/coaxial (HFC) distribution plant to provide wireless access. It is found that the transmission capability of the coaxial distribution plant is generally better than that of the air interface. However, the available spectrum, especially in the upstream direction, is limited. Three architectural alternatives are identified. The first one uses the coaxial cables between the fiber node (FN) and first line amplifiers to provide radio frequency (RF) transmission with or without carrier frequency conversion. The second establishes fixed transmission links between the FN and radio ports using a simple digital modulation method such as QPSK. The third requires efficient transmission schemes and advanced media access protocols to establish a local area network (LAN) to provide flexible high rate wireless access services.