Fiber-Extended Copper Line Architecture With End-to-End Data Transmission and Link Monitoring

We demonstrate a prototype hybrid, full duplex fiber-extended copper line with frequency-reusability and simultaneous fiber and copper line monitoring. The link architecture is composed of three main units: a central office; a remote-node copper to fiber converter (CuFiC); and a radio head. A fiber optical link connects the central office to the remote node, while the remote node is connected to the radio head by a copper line. Even though the prototype is built with two full duplex channels, more channels can be supported by the architecture, and an optical feedforward linearization scheme for the transmitter is demonstrated for that purpose. In-service simultaneous multi-copper and fiber monitoring is possible with the right choice of frequency bands, a result backed by the Error Vector Magnitude measurement of data channels in simultaneous coexistence with monitoring channels. A frequency multiplication unit, built into both the transmitter and the remote node, allows for a single seed tone to generate all the sub-carrier multiplexed channels for up and downstream in both the fiber and in the copper links without the need of local oscillators. This not only simplifies the architecture, but also allows for optimal homodyne up-/down-conversion. The demonstrated prototype figures as a potential candidate for interfacing fiber to the home and fiber to the building (FTTH/FTTB) links with legacy copper infrastructure currently allowing for: up to eight 20MHz LTE 64QAM channels to be subcarrier-multiplexed onto a single optical carrier and seemlessly demultiplexed into individual copper channels, backed by a ≤8% EVM measured at the radio head; concurrent 7dB dynamic range 10 meter spatial resolution intermediate-haul fiber monitoring (up to 15 km) as well as copper line monitoring both available at the central office. The next steps beyond the presented proof of concept include simultaneous bi-directional transmission among multiple receivers, automated feed-forward linearization, and the study of factors that may limit the achievable dynamic range.