Configurable wide area distributed antenna system

A configurable wide area distributed antenna system comprising:

• a plurality of remote master units, each remote master unit in communication with at least one associated base station, each remote master unit including a remote switch function and at least one remote transport media interface;
• a plurality of local master units, each local master unit is positioned in a location that is remote to each of the plurality of the remote master units, each local master unit is in communication with at least one remote antenna unit that used to provide communication coverage in a select coverage area, each local master unit including a local switch function and at least one local transport media interface;
• at least one communication link coupling transport signals between the plurality of remote master unit and the plurality local master unit;
• a remote wavelength division multiplexer for each remote master unit, each wavelength division multiplexer configured and arranged to multiplex signals into the transport signals in a downlink direction from the at least one remote transport interface of an associated remote master unit and the at least one communication link and demultiplex transport signals in an uplink direction from the at least one communication link to the at least one remote transport interface of the remote master unit;
• at local wavelength division multiplexer for each local master unit, each local wavelength division multiplexer configured and arranged to demultiplex the transport signals in the downlink direction from the at least one communication link to the local transport media interface of the at least one local master unit and multiplex signals into the transport signals in the uplink direction from the at least one local transport media interface of the at least one local master unit to the at least one communication link;
• and
• a wavelength selective switch configured and arranged to selectively route the transport signals through the at least one communication link.

A method of operating a distributed antenna system, the method comprising:

• communicating base station signals between at least one base station and an associated remote master unit, the associated remote master unit located at a first location;
• communicating remote antenna unit transport signals between at least one remote unit used for communication coverage at a select communication coverage area and an associated local master unit, the associated local master unit located at a second different location than the first location of the associated remote master unit;
• and
• using at least one communication link to communicate master unit transport signals between at least one remote master unit that includes the associated remote master unit and at least one local master unit that includes the associated local master unit.

A method of operating a distributed antenna system having a plurality of remote master units and a plurality of local master units with each remote master unit at a different location and each local master unit located at different location while being a spaced distance from the location of each remote master unit, each local master unit of the distributed antennas system is associated with a different communication coverage area, the method comprising:

• in a downlink direction:
• processing downlink base signals at associated remote master units into downlink multiplexed remote digital samples;
• interfacing the downlink multiplexed remote digital samples to create downlink optical master unit transport signals having assigned wavelengths that indicate signal routing information;
• routing the downlink optical master unit transport signals to select local master units with a wavelength selective switch over at least one communication link;
• processing received downlink optical master unit transport signals at the select local master units to generate downlink remote antenna unit transport signals;
• communicating the downlink remote antenna unit transport signals to at least one associated remote unit;
• and
• broadcasting associated downlink analog radio frequency signals from at least one antenna that is in communication with the at least one associated remote unit;
• in an uplink direction:
• processing uplink remote antenna unit transport signals at associated local master units to generate uplink multiplexed digital samples;
• interfacing the uplink multiplexed local digital samples to create uplink optical master unit transport signals having the assigned wavelengths that indicate signal routing information;
• routing the uplink optical master unit transport signals to select remote master units with the wavelength selective switch over the at least one communication link;
• processing received uplink optical master unit transport signals at the select remote master units to generate uplink base signals;
• and
• communicating the uplink base signals to associated base stations.