mm-wave Distributed MIMO Radio-over-Fiber Communication Architecture Using Sigma-Delta Modulation

In this paper, a state-of-the-art millimetre wave distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (D-MIMO) radio-over-fiber communication architecture is presented with experimental verification results. The architecture is taking advantage of high-speed sigma-delta modulation and off-the-shelf optical interconnects, which results in extraordinary simplification compared to conventional system solutions. The implemented system includes a central unit which connects with two remote radio units by individual 100 Gbps fiber fronthaul links. The over-the-air demonstration results include several critical MIMO communication cases reaching a remarkable 748 MHz bandwidth signal with orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme. Therefore, this work is not only being a valuable guidance for any future high-frequency MIMO communication networks, but also constitutes a valid testbed for MIMO algorithms.