An Investigation of Radio over Fiber (RoF) Communication System Technology: A Review

Radio over Fiber (RoF) technology refers to the transmission of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal across a fiber optic cable after the light signal has been modified with the RF signal. A wireless transmitting network based on the RoF technology has been projected as a low-cost, highly reliable solution for meeting the ever-growing user bandwidth, and multimedia wireless service demands. In this review article, an impression is presented of the current research on RoF technology and its various applications. The review includes a comparison and discussion between digital radio over fiber (D-RoF) and analog radio over fiber (A-RoF), and shows the main applications of RoF technology. The crucial factors that determine the effectiveness of RoF technology rely on the application, the environment, the distance between the base station (BS) and the control station, and the millimeters-wave (mmWave) employed in the system. Sigma Delta Radio over Fiber (S-DRoF) may be a good contender for future mobile haul applications. By transmitting a sigma-delta modulated signal, it can maintain the low complexity of A-RoF and high immunity to RF signal impairments of D-RoF.