The possible applications of RoF wireless access are as follows:

(1) Military Application
    For security reasons, the broadband microwave or RF signals received by the radar are transmitted through the optical fiber in the mode of RoF communication to the remote end. This will cause fewer casualties in the event of radar strikes.

(2) High-Speed Sensing
The RoF communication can be used for fast transfer of video monitoring signals on the high-speed trains and jumbo jets, as broadband transmission can be satisfied and also less electromagnetic pollution will be produced.

(3) 3G Mobile Communications
The third generation mobile communication relies on higher frequency than that of the second generation system, thus more repeaters and remote base stations are required to provide indoor coverage. The RoF mode will need much less cable in this case and thus less electromagnetic pollution.

(4) 4G Mobile Communications
The fourth generation mobile communication employs even higher frequency than that of the third generation system and the bandwidth reaches up to 1 Gb/s. This requires the RoF mode to set up the networking with fiber-based distributed antennae and the mid-frequency remote unit to provide network coverage[3].

(5) Millimeter Fiber Transmission
The millimeter wave at 60 GHz and higher generates fast attenuation and less electromagnetic interference, thus is quite suitable for indoor coverage. Together with the RoF communication, the problems of electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic pollution will be addressed in a better way.

 

The RoF communication technology is now developing toward a low-cost broadband multi-system wireless access solution without electromagnetic interference. Government agencies, academic bodies and the industry are all attaching great importance to its research and application. Problems in need of immediate solutions are the various high-frequency devices, SOC chip, interface standards and frequent handovers.