Sub-THz wireless system with electronic and optoelectronic transmitters

The rising traffic demand in mobile networks is pushing the capacity need, especially in the access network. Wireless access integrated with the operator optical fiber network offers mobility and easiness of deployment. The challenge is the provision of wireless broadband capacity paired with the increasing traffic demands. The paper describes a point-to-multipoint fronthaul distribution wireless network at D-band (141 – 148.5 GHz) fed with point-to-point backhaul transport links at G-band (275 – 305 GHz), providing tens of Gb/s data rate. The system is under development in the frame of the European Commission Horizon 2020 ULTRAWAVE “Ultra capacity wireless layer beyond 100 GHz based on millimeter wave”. The D-band transmission hubs are connected to the optical core network through Gb/s class G-band links, based on a microwave photonic transmitter employing uni-traveling-carrier photodiodes (UTC-PD). A field test in real environment is planned to demonstrate the ULTRAWAVE system breakthrough.