Wireless signal distribution system and method

A wireless signal distribution system, comprising:

• a transmission ring in communication with a base station hotel which provides at least a digital output and an analog output from at least one base station of the base station hotel, the at least one base station comprises a digital base station which provides at least the digital output;
• and
• a plurality of nodes arranged in the transmission ring, and not co-located with one another, such that at least one optical signal is transmitted from node to node along the transmission ring, at least one particular node of the plurality of nodes comprising:
• an optical demultiplexer to demultiplex the optical signal received at the particular node from a previous node in the transmission ring into a plurality of optical channels;
• at least one optical multiplexer to multiplex the plurality of optical channels for transmission to a following node in the transmission ring via a transmission media, the following node differs from the previous node;
• and
• at least one remote module, remote from the base station hotel, comprising:
• a photodiode to convert a first optical channel from the plurality of optical channels to an electrical signal, the first optical channel is selected from among the plurality of optical channels based on routing information in the at least one optical signal, the routing information indicating which optical channels of the plurality of optical channels are for use by which nodes;
• an electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer to demultiplex the electrical signal to a plurality of digital electrical channels, including at least one digital electrical channel which is a transmit channel and at least one digital electrical channel which includes the digital output, and to multiplex digital electrical channels,
• at least one converter to convert the transmit channel to an output analog radio frequency signal for transmission via an antenna and to convert at least one input analog radio frequency signal from an antenna to at least one digital electrical receive channel to be multiplexed by the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer onto a multiplexed electrical signal, and
• a laser for converting the multiplexed electrical signal to the first optical channel, to be multiplexed by the at least one optical multiplexer for transmission to the following node;
• wherein:
• the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer provides a digital interface to a radio head by providing the at least one digital electrical channel which includes the digital output to the radio head;
• the digital interface to the radio head transmits at least one digital electrical channel to the digital base station;
• the digital base station includes a digital interface for communicating with the digital interface to the radio head;
• and
• the at least one digital electrical channel which includes the digital output of the digital base station is converted to a second optical channel, and the first optical channel and the second optical channel are multiplexed by the at least one optical multiplexer.

A wireless signal distribution system, comprising:

• a transmission ring in communication with a base station hotel which includes base stations of different wireless network operators, the base stations are co-located in the base station hotel;
• and
• a plurality of nodes arranged in the transmission ring, and not co-located with one another, such that at least one optical signal is transmitted from node to node along the transmission ring, different nodes of the plurality of nodes are used by different wireless network operators, at least one particular node of the plurality of nodes comprising:
• an optical demultiplexer to demultiplex the optical signal received at the particular node from a previous node in the transmission ring into a plurality of optical channels;
• an optical multiplexer to multiplex the plurality of optical channels for transmission to a following node in the transmission ring via a transmission media, the following node differs from the previous node;
• and
• at least one remote module, remote from the base station hotel, comprising:
• a photodiode to convert an optical channel from the plurality of optical channels to an electrical signal, the optical channel which is converted is selected from among the plurality of optical channels based on routing information in the at least one optical signal, the routing information indicating which optical channels of the plurality of optical channels are for use by which nodes;
• an electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer to demultiplex the electrical signal to a plurality of digital electrical channels, at least one digital electrical channel being a transmit channel, and to multiplex digital electrical channels,
• at least one converter to convert the transmit channel to an output analog radio frequency signal for transmission via an antenna and to convert at least one input analog radio frequency signal from an antenna to at least one digital electrical receive channel to be multiplexed by the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer onto a multiplexed electrical signal, and
• a laser for converting the multiplexed electrical signal to the optical channel to be multiplexed by the optical multiplexer for transmission to the following node;
• wherein:
• the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer provides a digital interface to a remote radio head, the electrical signal includes a digital baseband part which is provided via the digital interface;
• the at least one remote module further comprises a digital interface which receives the at least one digital electrical channel from a digital base station, and transmits at least one digital electrical channel to the digital base station, the digital base station includes a digital interface for communicating with the digital interface of the remote module;
• and
• the digital electrical channel received from the digital base station is multiplexed by the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer onto the multiplexed electrical signal such that the multiplexed electrical signal contains channels from an analog base station and the digital base station.

A wireless signal distribution system, comprising:

• a transmission ring in communication with a base station hotel which includes base stations of different wireless network operators, the base stations are co-located in the base station hotel;
• and
• a plurality of nodes arranged in the transmission ring, and not co-located with one another, such that at least one optical signal is transmitted from node to node along the transmission ring, different nodes of the plurality of nodes are used by different wireless network operators, at least one particular node of the plurality of nodes comprising:
• an optical demultiplexer to demultiplex the optical signal received at the particular node from a previous node in the transmission ring into a plurality of optical channels;
• an optical multiplexer to multiplex the plurality of optical channels for transmission to a following node in the transmission ring via a transmission media, the following node differs from the previous node;
• and
• at least one remote module, remote from the base station hotel, comprising:
• a photodiode to convert an optical channel from the plurality of optical channels to an electrical signal, the optical channel which is converted is selected from among the plurality of optical channels based on routing information in the at least one optical signal, the routing information indicating which optical channels of the plurality of optical channels are for use by which nodes;
• an electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer to demultiplex the electrical signal to a plurality of digital electrical channels, at least one digital electrical channel being a transmit channel, and to multiplex digital electrical channels,
• at least one converter to convert the transmit channel to an output analog radio frequency signal for transmission via an antenna and to convert at least one input analog radio frequency signal from an antenna to at least one digital electrical receive channel to be multiplexed by the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer onto a multiplexed electrical signal, and
• a laser for converting the multiplexed electrical signal to the optical channel to be multiplexed by the optical multiplexer for transmission to the following node;
• wherein:
• the electrical multiplexer/demultiplexer provides a digital interface to a remote radio head, the electrical signal includes a digital baseband part which is provided via the digital interface;
• the at least one remote module further comprises a digital interface which receives the at least one digital electrical channel from a digital base station, and transmits at least one digital electrical channel to the digital base station, the digital base station includes a digital interface for communicating with the digital interface of the remote module;
• and
• the digital electrical channel received from the digital base station is converted to a second optical channel and the optical channel and the second optical channel are multiplexed by the optical multiplexer.