Power Over Fiber in C-RAN With Low Power Sleep Mode Remote Nodes Using SMF

Power over fiber (PoF) with sleep mode operation in centralized radio access networks (C-RAN) of low power Remote Radio Heads (RRH) helps to reduce power consumption. This proposal includes bundles of single mode optical fibers (SMF) as part of the 5G C-RAN front-haul solution for providing control on power consumption by selectively activating some parts of the RRH. We experimentally demonstrate a PoF system based on 14.43 km of SMF feed by 2.24 W giving 226 mW electrical power at the RRH for control, battery charge, load operation and communication purposes. A bidirectional control channel is integrated in the central office and the RRH for providing the capability of entering in sleep mode operation and to provide information about the status of the battery and sensing elements at RRH. The optical data uplink/downlink operates over separate optical fibers shared by various RRHs and achieves low power consumption below 33 mW with low data rates. The measured PV cells conversion efficiency is above 30%. The RRH has two sleep modes of operation with a minimum power consumption of 5.8 mW.