Optically powered FiWi system for B5G hybrid VLC/RF access networks

Area of Science:

• Optical Communications
• Wireless Networking
• Beyond 5G (B5G) Technologies

Background:

• Traditional power delivery for indoor wireless networks faces challenges in flexibility and integration.
• Emerging beyond 5G (B5G) systems require innovative solutions for seamless fiber and wireless convergence.
• Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Radio Frequency (RF) networks offer complementary approaches for high-speed indoor data transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an optically powered Fiber/Wireless (FiWi) system for B5G indoor applications.
• To integrate Power-over-Fiber (PoF) technology for simultaneous remote powering of VLC and RF components.
• To evaluate the communication performance of the hybrid VLC/RF access network powered by PoF.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid FiWi system combining VLC and RF access networks was designed.
• Power-over-Fiber (PoF) technology was employed to deliver optical power over 500 m of multimode fiber (MMF).
• A 5G New Radio (5G NR) signal was transmitted via Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) fronthaul and then distributed through the hybrid VLC/RF network.

Main Results:

• The PoF system successfully transmitted 8.1 W of optical power with 14% efficiency, powering a red laser for VLC and an RF module.
• The VLC link achieved 1.2 Gbps throughput with 200 MHz bandwidth and 64-QAM, showing an EVM_RMS of 4.02%.
• The RF link at 3.5 GHz delivered 360 Mbps with an EVM_RMS of 2.67%.

Conclusions:

• The proposed optically powered FiWi system is a viable solution for B5G indoor applications.
• Power-over-Fiber technology effectively powers hybrid VLC and RF access networks.
• The system demonstrates robust performance for both VLC and RF communication links, validated against conventional power supplies.