Distributed antenna system interface for processing digital signals in a standardized format

A unit of a distributed antenna system, the unit comprising:

• an interface section configured to process signals for communication between (i) a first base station configured to communicate the signals using a first communication protocol and a second base station configured to communicate the signals using a second communication protocol and (ii) a remote antenna unit that is not configured to process the signals using the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol;
• wherein the interface section comprises:
• a first digital interface card for interfacing with a first digital base station and for outputting the first digital signal;
• a second digital interface card for interfacing with a second digital base station and for outputting the second digital signal, the second digital base station being associated with a different frequency clock than a frequency clock associated with the first digital base station;
• and
• a clock select device for selecting a system reference signal from a plurality of reference signals generated based on frequency clocks of the first digital base station and the second digital base station, the system reference signal being usable by components of the unit;
• and
• wherein the interface section is configured to process the signals by performing operations comprising:
• receiving a first downlink signal comprising first packetized data that includes first carrier data and first control data formatted according to the first communication protocol;
• receiving a second downlink signal comprising second packetized data that includes second carrier data and second control data formatted according to the second communication protocol;
• and
• converting the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal from the first and second communication protocols into a format that allows the remote antenna unit to wirelessly transmit information from the first and second downlink signals to wireless user devices, wherein the interface section is configured to convert the first downlink signal and the second downlink signal by performing operations comprising:
• extracting the first carrier data from the first packetized data and generating a first digital signal from the extracted first packetized data;
• and
• extracting the second carrier data from the second packetized data generating a second digital signal from the extracted second packetized data;
• and
• an output section configured to:
• generate a combined digital downlink signal based on the first digital signal and the second digital signal, wherein the combined digital downlink signal comprises the information to be wirelessly transmitted;
• and
• transmit the combined digital downlink signal to the remote antenna unit in the format that allows the remote antenna unit to wirelessly transmit the information.