Towards high accuracy positioning in 5G via passive synchronization of base stations using thermally-insensitive optical fibers
Towards high accuracy positioning in 5G via passive synchronization of base stations using thermally-insensitive optical fibers
Positioning accuracy in 5G networks (achieved via techniques based on observed time difference of arrival (OTDoA)) is limited by the synchronization error between the cellular base stations. Here, we demonstrate that these base stations can be synchronized entirely passively through the use of emerging forms of hollow core fiber (HCF) as the data transmission medium in the 5G front-haul network. This is possible due to the excellent thermal stability of HCF which allows the synchronization error among cellular base stations to be reduced significantly as compared to systems based on standard single mode fibers. Reducing this synchronization error is necessary to meet the strict timing requirements envisaged for 5G networks. We analyze the polarization mode dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and thermal stability of the HCF and give suggestions on how to use the HCF to balance overall radio over fiber (RoF) link performance in 5G front-haul networks. In a proof of concept experiment we show that HCF links enable the positioning error (calculated with the OTDoA method) to be reduced down to the centimeter level even when subject to tens of degrees Celsius temperature variations. This represents a 20-fold improvement over standard single mode fiber systems which would require active compensation schemes to achieve similar levels of time synchronization accuracy.
113197-113205
Zhu, Wenwu
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Numkam Fokoua, Eric
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Chen, Yong
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Bradley, Thomas
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Sandoghchi, Seyed Reza
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Ding, Meng
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Jasion, Gregory
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Petrovich, Marco
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Poletti, Francesco
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Zhao, Mingshan
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Richardson, David
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Slavík, Radan
2591726a-ecc0-4d1a-8e1d-4d0fd8da8f7d
August 2019
Zhu, Wenwu
224a96dc-9793-43c5-a43d-78630e179de8
Numkam Fokoua, Eric
6d9f7e50-dc3b-440a-a0b9-f4a08dd02ccd
Chen, Yong
0bfb3083-4cd2-4463-a7a4-f48c4158b15a
Bradley, Thomas
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Sandoghchi, Seyed Reza
654977fa-6c6e-4b24-aece-7ac52027fe17
Ding, Meng
4ce864fb-eb5c-47d6-8902-7b3785a162d7
Jasion, Gregory
16cfff1d-d178-41d1-a092-56e6239726b8
Petrovich, Marco
bfe895a0-da85-4a40-870a-2c7bfc84a4cf
Poletti, Francesco
9adcef99-5558-4644-96d7-ce24b5897491
Zhao, Mingshan
bf289b4a-245b-467f-a926-dab8ffe2054c
Richardson, David
ebfe1ff9-d0c2-4e52-b7ae-c1b13bccdef3
Slavík, Radan
2591726a-ecc0-4d1a-8e1d-4d0fd8da8f7d
Zhu, Wenwu, Numkam Fokoua, Eric, Chen, Yong, Bradley, Thomas, Sandoghchi, Seyed Reza, Ding, Meng, Jasion, Gregory, Petrovich, Marco, Poletti, Francesco, Zhao, Mingshan, Richardson, David and Slavík, Radan
(2019)
Towards high accuracy positioning in 5G via passive synchronization of base stations using thermally-insensitive optical fibers.
IEEE Access, 7, .
(doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2934982).
Abstract
Positioning accuracy in 5G networks (achieved via techniques based on observed time difference of arrival (OTDoA)) is limited by the synchronization error between the cellular base stations. Here, we demonstrate that these base stations can be synchronized entirely passively through the use of emerging forms of hollow core fiber (HCF) as the data transmission medium in the 5G front-haul network. This is possible due to the excellent thermal stability of HCF which allows the synchronization error among cellular base stations to be reduced significantly as compared to systems based on standard single mode fibers. Reducing this synchronization error is necessary to meet the strict timing requirements envisaged for 5G networks. We analyze the polarization mode dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and thermal stability of the HCF and give suggestions on how to use the HCF to balance overall radio over fiber (RoF) link performance in 5G front-haul networks. In a proof of concept experiment we show that HCF links enable the positioning error (calculated with the OTDoA method) to be reduced down to the centimeter level even when subject to tens of degrees Celsius temperature variations. This represents a 20-fold improvement over standard single mode fiber systems which would require active compensation schemes to achieve similar levels of time synchronization accuracy.
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5G_IEEE_ACCESS_rpublication_enf_clean
- Accepted Manuscript
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08796337
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Accepted/In Press date: 2 August 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 August 2019
Published date: August 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 437372
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/437372
ISSN: 2169-3536
PURE UUID: 793719da-69d1-42a1-a3e6-0520829f7fc8
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Date deposited: 29 Jan 2020 17:30
Last modified: 12 Nov 2024 05:06
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