Systems and methods for noise floor optimization in distributed antenna system with direct digital interface to base station

A signal interface unit for an antenna system, comprising:

• an external device interface configured to communicate respective uplink individual baseband data for uplink radio carrier channels for a radio frequency carrier to an external device;
• an antenna side interface configured to receive uplink antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier from an antenna unit communicatively coupled to the antenna side interface;
• and
• a signal conversion module communicatively coupled between the external device interface and the antenna side interface and configured to convert between the uplink antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier and the respective uplink individual baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier at least in part by performing, for each respective uplink radio carrier channel of the uplink radio carrier channels, an adjustment of the uplink antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier received from the antenna side interface to comply with requirements of the external device.

A method for making a distributed antenna system appear as a radio head in a digital radio system, comprising:

• receiving uplink distributed antenna system baseband data for uplink radio carrier channels for a radio frequency carrier from the distributed antenna system at a signal interface unit;
• converting between the uplink distributed antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels and respective uplink individual baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels at least in part by performing, for each respective uplink radio carrier channel of the uplink radio carrier channels, an adjustment of the uplink distributed antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels received from the distributed antenna system to comply with requirements of a channelized radio carrier base station interface communicatively coupled to the signal interface unit;
• and
• communicating the respective uplink individual baseband data for uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier from the signal interface unit to the channelized radio carrier base station interface.

A method of conforming uplink signals to requirements of an external device, comprising:

• receiving uplink antenna system baseband data for uplink radio carrier channels for a radio frequency carrier from an antenna unit at an antenna side interface of a signal interface unit;
• converting between uplink antenna system baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for the radio frequency carrier and respective uplink individual baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for a radio frequency carrier at the signal interface unit at least in part by performing, for each respective uplink radio carrier channel of the uplink radio carrier channels, an adjustment of the uplink antenna system baseband data for the respective uplink radio carrier channel received from the antenna unit to comply with requirements of an external device communicatively coupled to the signal interface unit;
• and
• communicating the respective uplink individual baseband data for the uplink radio carrier channels for a radio frequency carrier from an external device interface of the signal interface unit to the external device.