Abstract: A beamforming device for a phased array antenna, comprising: a laser light source (2) arranged to provide an optical spectrum comprising a plurality of spaced wavelengths, and a distribution unit (4) configured to distribute one or more of the plurality of spaced wavelengths onto a plurality of optical paths (6). A wavelength selection device (8) configured to receive the plurality of spaced wavelengths on each of the plurality of optical paths. One or more phase shift unit (12) connected to a said wavelength selection device, wherein the phase shift unit is configured to introduce a phase shift to a received wavelength. The wavelength selection device on each optical path is configured to selectively transmit a wavelength to the phase shift unit. The wavelength selection device is configured to receive the said phase shifted wavelength from the phase shift unit (12).

Abstract: A radio-over-fibre transmitter comprising: an optical splitter arranged to receive an optical carrier signal having a carrier optical frequency, and split it into a plurality of portions; electro-optic modulation apparatus each arranged to receive a respective optical carrier signal portion and a respective modulated radio frequency subcarrier signal, and arranged to modulate the respective optical carrier signal portion with the respective modulated radio frequency subcarrier signal and arranged to suppress onward transmission of the respective optical carrier signal portion, to form a respective carrier suppressed optical subcarrier signal; an optical combiner arranged to receive the carrier suppressed optical subcarrier signals and one of the optical carrier signal portions and arranged to combine them to form a subcarrier multiplexed optical signal; and polarisation apparatus arranged to ensure that the carrier suppressed optical subcarrier signals and said optical carrier signal portion each have the sam

Abstract: The present invention relates to an individualized self-monitoring system for transformers (31, 33) in a electric power measurement installation that comprises at least a transformer (31, 33) and at least a time-integrated electrical quantity meter (3, 4, 13), directly coupled to one of the windings of the transformer (31, 33), the meter (3, 4, 13) being capable of measuring and recording the electrical quantity of said winding. The present invention also relates to a method of monitoring and diagnosing transformers (31, 33) in a power measurement installation that comprises the steps of measuring the values of at least a directly measured time-integrated electrical in at least a winding of at least one transformer (31, 33), performing comparisons between the measured and generating diagnostic results with the compared data.

Abstract: A radio manager unit for a radio access network, wherein the radio manager unit is configured to connect to a transport control unit configured to control a transport network between a baseband processing unit and a plurality of remote radio units. The radio manager unit is further configured to connect to a radio control unit configured to control the baseband processing unit. The radio manager unit is further configured to be connected to one or more tenant system of a tenant. The radio manager unit is configured to arrange for resources of the transport network and resources of the baseband processing unit to be configured for use by a said tenant.

Abstract: A network node (30) for a radio access network, wherein the network node comprises a switch system (35) configured to switch traffic for a plurality of base stations (3, 5; 8) of the radio access network. The switch system (35) is configured to provide for communication between a remote radio unit (3) and a baseband processing unit (5, 12) of the said plurality of base stations. The switch system (35) is configured to provide for communication between a first base station (8) and a second base station (3, 5) of said plurality of base stations. At least one of the first or second base station is a radio base station (8) comprising baseband processing.

Abstract: A receiver (1) is configured to receive an optical transmission, wherein the receiver is configured to determine a plurality of values over time of the quality of the optical transmission. The receiver comprises one or more low pass filter (26) configured to low pass filter the values of quality of the transmission. Based on the low pass filtered values, the receiver (1) is configured to determine a FEC code and/or modulation type for a further optical transmission.

Abstract: A method for switching data signals transmitted over a transport network is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a plurality of input data signals of a first signal type wherein the plurality of data signals of the first signal type comprises data signals exchanged between a Radio Equipment and a Radio Equipment Controller and aggregating the plurality of input data signals into an aggregated first data signal. The method also comprises receiving a second data signal of a second signal type different to the first signal type, and multiplexing the first data signal with the second data signal to form a combined data signal. The method further comprises forwarding the combined data signal to the transport network. Multiplexing the first data signal with the second data signal comprises, for a frame of the combined data signal, allocating the first data signal to a portion of the frame reserved for the first data signal, and allocating the second data signal to a remaining portion of the frame.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining propagation delay of a first path and or of a second path which connect a first transceiver unit associated with a first clock to a second transceiver unit associated with a second clock in a communications network. The apparatus comprises a control unit configured to cause the first transceiver unit to transmit a first signal to the second transceiver unit over the first path and to receive a reply to the first signal from the second transceiver unit over the second path, and to transmit a second signal to the second transceiver unit over the second path and to receive a reply to the second signal from the second transceiver unit over the first path.

Abstract: A method (10) of encapsulating digital communications signals for transmission on a communications link, comprising steps: a. receiving a first signal of a first signal type and comprising a first clock signal and receiving a second signal of a second signal type, different to the first, and comprising a second clock signal different to the first clock signal, each clock signal having a respective clock value and accuracy (12); b. obtaining the first clock signal (14); c. obtaining a difference between at least one of the clock values of the clock signals and the accuracies of the clock signals (16) and buffering the second signal for a time at least long enough to compensate for the difference (18); and d. assembling the first signal and the buffered second signal into a frame comprising an overhead and a payload comprising a first portion and a second portion, mapping the first signal into the first portion and the second signal into the second portion (20), wherein step d.

Abstract: A radio base station has a baseband controller coupled to a radio head by an optical wavelength division multiplexed link to pass downlink signals on a first wavelength, and uplink signals on another wavelength. A compensating delay is applied to one of the signals to compensate for a difference in transmission times between the downlink and the uplink signals. The compensating delay can be controlled according to the difference in wavelengths. By compensating for such differences in transmission times, synchronization problems can be avoided or ameliorated, or transmission distances can be increased. This can result in more flexibility in choice of wavelengths, fiber types and fiber lengths, and greater resilience. This can enable simpler installation or configuration, or reconfiguration without needing to take care to restrict the selection of wavelengths on the WDM link or restrict the length of the link for example.

Abstract: An optical multi carrier signal has a modulation format and has many individual carrier signals. Parameters of the signal are controlled by receiving an indication of individual carrier transmission performance of the individual carrier signals, and selecting parameter values for the individual carrier signals, the parameter values comprising both a carrier FEC overhead and a carrier bandwidth for the modulation format. Selection is made according to the indicated individual carrier transmission performance and according to an overall spectral efficiency of the multi carrier signal. The selected parameter values are output for control of the optical multi carrier signal. By selecting values for both parameters rather than either one, better optimization can be obtained since they are interdependent. The control can have better granularity than changing modulation format, and can make better use of bandwidth or improve the overall capacity.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) passive optical networks (PON), and the transmission of point-to-point and broadcast or multicast channels from an optical line transmitter (OLT) to an optical network unit (ONU).

Abstract: A digital signal processing, DSP, unit (10) for use in a coherent optical receiver for an optical communications network. The DSP unit comprises an adaptive equaliser (12) and a processing block (22). The equaliser (12) comprises input ports for receiving electrical signals, each corresponding to a different state of polarization of an optical signal received by the coherent optical receiver,and output ports,each connected to a processing branch (14). A processing branch comprises a symbol sequence estimator, SSE, (16) and a carrier phase estimator, CPE, (18) comprising an input for receiving signal taped from an output of the processing branch. An output of the CPE is connected to a phase adjuster (20) interconnecting the respective output port of the equaliser and the SSE. The processing block (22) is connected to an output of the CPE,an output of the processing branch and at least one of the output of the phase adjuster and the outputs of the equalizer.

Abstract: A method of controlling a parameter in the generation of a coherent optical signal, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a set of signal samples relating to detection of a coherent optical signal; transforming the set of signal samples into a set of spectrum samples in the frequency domain, the set of spectrum samples being an estimation of the spectrum of the coherent optical signal; calculating at least one feedback variable based on the spectrum samples; and adjusting the parameter based on the at least one feedback variable.

Abstract: A wireless communications network radio unit (10) comprising: an input (12) arranged to receive a radio over fibre, RoF input optical signal (14) carrying digital radio communications traffic for transmission from a plurality of antenna elements, synchronisation traffic and control and management traffic; a digital receiver (16) arranged to receive and terminate the RoF input optical signal to obtain the digital radio communications traffic; a framer (18) arranged to frame the digital radio communications traffic into at least one digital traffic stream consisting of the digital radio communications traffic for transmission from a plurality of the antenna elements and clock recovery information; and at least one optical transmitter (20) arranged to generate an RoF output optical signal (22) carrying the digital traffic stream.

Abstract: A node (20, 25) for a single fiber bidirectional WDM optical ring network has a first optical protection switch (100) having first and second ports for coupling to the single fiber bidirectional ring, while providing a pass through optical path for wavelengths on the bidirectional ring. A further port is coupled to an external optical path. In operation the switch couples optically bidirectional selected wavelengths between the external optical path and either of the first and second ports selectively, according to an indication of a fault on the ring, so as to use different portions of the bidirectional ring respectively as working path and protection path. This combines coupling wavelengths with the ring, with the selection of protection or working path, which simplifies the optical equipment, and upstream and downstream optical delays can be symmetrical.

Abstract: An optical path for transmission of data from a source node to a destination node comprises an optical channel for parallel transmission of non overlapping carrier frequencies. The frequency separation of the carriers is lower than the baud rate. The optical path is configured by (a) determining a path OSNR (OSNRp ); (b) selecting a carrier bandwidth (BW) so that the channel bandwidth (BWT ) is less than or equal to a maximum path bandwidth available for transmission, wherein BWT?BW·C, wherein C is the number of carrier frequencies; (c) selecting a FEC code having a minimum overhead requirement; (d) determining a channel OSNR (OSNRT ) based on the currently selected BW and FEC code; (e) in response to determining that OSNRT is not less than or equal to OSNRp, reselecting new codes having increasing overhead requirements until OSNRT is less than OSNRp, and if this is not possible increasing BWT and returning to step (c); (h) configuring the path for transmission based on the finally selected BWTand FEC code.

Abstract: An optical switch has four optical ports; a first optical waveguide coupled between a first of said ports and a second of the ports; a first switch element provided between the first waveguide and a second optical waveguide that is coupled to a third of the ports; a second switch element provided between the first waveguide and a third optical waveguide that is coupled to a fourth of the ports. Each switch element has a micro-ring resonator having an active state in which it is coupled to the first waveguide and to a respective one of the second and third waveguides for optical signals at a preselected wavelength, and an inactive state in which no coupling occurs. Each switch element has a control element arranged to receive a respective control signal configured to cause it to switch the micro-ring resonator between said states.

Abstract: A method for measuring asymmetry in propagation delay of first and second links which connect a first node to a second node of a communication network. The method comprises measuring (101) a round trip delay of the first link. The round trip delay can be measured by transmitting (102) a test signal from the first node to the second node over the first link and receiving a reply to the test signal from the second node over the first link. The method further comprises measuring (105) a round trip delay of the second link. The round trip delay can be measured by transmitting (106) a test signal to the second node over the second link and receiving a reply to the test signal from the second node over the second link. A difference in the propagation delay of the first link with respect to the second link is determined (109) using the measured round trip delays of the first link and the second link.

Abstract: A method (10) of encapsulating digital communications traffic for transmission on an optical link, the method comprising: a. receiving an input digital communications signal having an input line code (12); b. performing clock and data recovery on the input digital communications signal to obtain input line coded digital communications traffic and a recovered clock signal (14); c. decoding the input digital communications traffic to obtain information bits and non-information bits (16); d. removing the non-information bits (18); e. adding service channel bits for monitoring or maintenance (20); f. assembling the service channel bits and information bits into frames (22); and g. line coding the assembled frames using an output line code to form an encapsulated digital communications signal for transmission on an optical link (24), wherein steps c. to g. are performed using the timing of the recovered clock signal. A communications network receiver configured to implement the method is also provided.