RF communications in the e-city (RF-Cité)

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Cities are the dynamo of the global economy responsible for the bulk of innovation. Urban planners envisage a 'Digital City' in which ubiquitous broadband wireless and computing enables operations to be more efficient and effective. However, increased use is outstripping energy efficiency improvements leading to unsustainable growth in the energy consumption of wireless access networks. The goal of RF-Cité is to establish the technical viability and environmental sustainability of wireless access deployed at the density necessary to realise a 'Sustainable Digital City' vision. The expected results include extensive simulations of original architectures for the optical transport of RF; for electronic to optical frequency up-conversion; for generating and distributing spectrally pure local oscillator signals in the mm-wave range; and a definitive assessment of analogue versus digital optical transport of RF from an energy consumption perspective. These simulations will be validated by experimental prototyping of key devices and subsystems. The project innovates through its advocacy of coherent optical RF transmission. The research is cutting edge in combining advanced digital signal processing and advanced photonic devices that include ultra-narrow line width single and multi-wavelength continuous wave and mode-locked semiconductor lasers, and planar light circuits for enhanced coherent functionality. The experimental work maximally leverages recent investments in the Photonic Technology Laboratory including an arbitrary waveform generator and advanced optical modulation analyser. The project is important because it aligns with the federal government's priority on Digital Economy. With the majority of its population already living in urban areas, Canada can be in the vanguard to reap the economic and social benefits of the emergence of digital cities, and Canadian enterprises that grasp the commercialisation opportunities generated may reap the benefits of being early to market. Additionally, the project will develop highly qualified and skilled personnel, benefiting from an environment enriched by an industrial and an international dimension, promoting effective knowledge transfer to industry and helping them fill their employment needs.