NEC has developed and demonstrated a radio-over-fibre system utilising a 1-bit fibre transmission method. The innovation could make it affordable to build stable millimetre-wave communication networks for ’Beyond 5G’ (B5G).

The 1-bit method allows high-frequency analog signals to be transmitted using inexpensive electrical-to-optical converters intended for general-purpose digital communications. This enables the realisation of compact and low-cost distributed antenna...