RADIOSTAR: Providing wireless coverage over Gigabit ethernet

RadioStar is a novel system developed by Bell Labs to provide low cost, cellular wireless coverage primarily targeted for enterprises, public spaces, and residences. The underlying concept is to digitize the output radio signals of a base station and to transport these signals over a Gigabit Ethernet network to multiple low-cost radio frequency radiation points. The received signals are returned through the network to the base station. This paper presents the architecture, implementation, and demonstration of RadioStar. It is shown how handoffs and precise frequency synchronization and timing control over a Gigabit Ethernet network can be established in such a way that the most stringent requirements of cellular communication air interfaces are satisfied. By converging cellular signal transport onto Gigabit Ethernet data networks, RadioStar can achieve substantially lower hardware and installation costs, while providing higher performance, more flexibility, and better operation, administration, and maintenance than current solutions. RadioStar concepts are being used in the ClearFill Star in-building product developed by the RFS business division of Alcatel-Lucent and currently being deployed commercially.