WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS EMPLOYING FREE-SPACE OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS LINKS.

摘要

The cells of a wireless communications system can be subdivided into smaller subcells, in each of which the available radio frequencies can be re-used to allow denser use of the system. To avoid having to run, hard-wired communications links to braodcast antennas of the subcells, substantially unguided, free-space, optical communication is used between the antenna that formely served the cell and the subcell antennas. The existing hard-wired connection from the central antena to the remainder of the wireless communications system infrastructure continues to be used for communication to and from the cell.