5G/NR Conformance Testing of Analog Radio-over-fiber Fronthaul Links

Foreseen requirements and use cases of future beyond fifth-generation (B5G) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile networks have shown that current mobile networks implementations must be reconsidered. Analog radio-over-fiber (ARoF) is a prospective solution for future mobile fronthaul of certain applications where current solutions fall short to fulfill future demands on bandwidth and power consumption. This paper provides a complete New-Radio (NR) conformance testing of ARoF fronthaul links in full accordance with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical specifications. We experimentally verified that the adjacent channel leakage power ratio (ACLR) and the error vector magnitude (EVM) transmitter requirements are fulfilled validating ARoF links as a suitable solution for next-generation mobile fronthaul. Wireless transmissions results are also provided.