Beam steering antenna transmitter, multi-user antenna MIMO transmitter and related methods of communication

A method of operating an array of antennas comprising:

• generating a first optical beam having a first frequency and a plurality of second optical beams each having a second frequency offset from the first frequency;
• separately modulating each of the second optical beams;
• combining the modulated second optical beams and the first optical beam;
• inputting each of the modulated second optical beams as combined with the first optical beam at a plurality of locations arranged at a first plane by propagating each modulated second optical beam through free space and a collimating lens to meet the first plane with a different corresponding propagation direction to generate radio frequency (RF) electrical signals, each RF electrical signal corresponding to one of the plurality of locations;
• and
• operating each of the antennas of the array of antennas with a corresponding one of the RF electrical signals,
• wherein each modulated second optical beam controls the generation of a corresponding RF beam emitted from the antenna array, and
• wherein each propagation direction of each modulated second optical beam with respect to the first plane corresponds to the direction of the corresponding RF beam emitted from the antenna array so that the different propagation directions result in different directions of the RF beam.