Digital data services and/or power distribution in optical fiber-based distributed communications systems providing digital data and radio frequency (RF) communications services, and related components and methods

An optical-fiber based distributed communications system, comprising:

• head-end equipment configured to:
• receive downlink electrical radio frequency (RF) communications services signals;
• and
• convert the downlink electrical RF communications services signals into downlink optical RF communications services signals to be communicated over at least one optical RF communications services downlink;
• a controller configured to:
• receive downlink digital data services signals containing at least one digital data service;
• and
• provide the downlink digital data services signals over at least one digital data services downlink;
• and
• a plurality of remote antenna units (RAUs), each of the plurality of RAUs communicatively coupled to at least one of a plurality of digital data service clients configured to support digital data services, and each of the plurality of RAUs being configured to:
• receive the downlink optical RF communications services signals from the at least one optical RF communications services downlink over at least one RF communications services optical fiber;
• receive the downlink digital data services signals from the at least one digital data services downlink over at least one digital data services line;
• receive power from at least one power supply over at least one power line;
• and
• provide at least a portion of the power received from the at least one power supply to one or more of the plurality of digital data service clients.

A remote antenna unit (RAU) for use in an optical-fiber based distributed communications system, the optical-fiber based distributed communications system comprising head-end equipment configured to receive downlink electrical radio frequency (RF) communications services signals and convert the downlink electrical RF communications services signals into downlink optical RF communications services signals to be communicated over at least one optical RF communications services downlink, the RAU communicatively coupled to the head-end equipment and to at least one digital data service client configured to support digital data services, the RAU comprising:

• an optical RF input configured to receive the downlink optical RF communications services signals from the at least one optical RF communications services downlink over at least one RF communications services optical fiber;
• a digital data services input configured to receive downlink digital data services signals from at least one digital data services downlink over at least one digital data services line;
• a power input configured to receive power from at least one power supply over at least one power line;
• and
• a power output configured to provide at least a portion of the power received from the at least one power supply to the at least one digital data service client.