LIMITATIONS OF ROF TECHNOLOGY
Since RoF involves analogue modulation, and detection of light, it is fundamentally an
analogue transmission system. Therefore, signal impairments such as noise and distortion,
which are important in analogue communication systems, are important in RoF systems as well
. These impairments tend to limit the Noise Figure (NF) and Dynamic Range (DR) of the
RoF links. DR is a very important parameter for mobile (cellular) communication systems such as GSM because the power received at the BS from the MUs varies widely That is, the RF
power received from a MU which is close to the BS can be much higher than the RF power
received from a MU which is several kilometers away, but within the same cell.