Feature
Wireless-Over-Fiber Technology—Bringing the Wireless World Indoors
The explosive growth of the Internet would not have been possible without optical fiber, which enables the movement of enormous amounts of data over thousands of kilometers. In an increasingly important application of wireless technology, fiber is being used to transport radio frequency signals and enhance coverage in buildings.
In the mid-1960s, Charles Kuen Kao first proposed long-haul and high-capacity data transmission by optical fiber. Little did he know then that his idea would transform global communications. (Kao went on to share the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics with George Smith and Willard Boyle in recognition of his contributions to fiber optics.) In this Internet age, we can sit in the comfort of our own homes and connect instantly with other people and content from anywhere in the world, never realizing just how much distance the information must travel before reaching our computer. In addition to its use for high-capacity fixed-data-transmission systems, optical fiber is playing a key role in wireless portable and mobile communications. With the emerging 4th generation cellular standard known as the long-term evolution (LTE), and the demand for ubiquitous and reliable mobile reception both indoors and out, optical fiber is increasingly being used to provide comprehensive wireless coverage within buildings.
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