UK partnership extends fibre optic tech for more reliable radio comms

Looking to create a commercial prototype that will help to position the UK as a leader in advanced communications technologies, civil engineers at Aston University in the UK are teaming up with electronic components developer Pulse Power & Measurement to investigate new ways to use fibre optic technologies for more stable, stronger and longer distance radio communications. 

The three-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project aims to further develop radio-over-fibre technology, which has been designed to convert analogue radio frequency signals into light, send them through fibre optic cables and convert them back into radio signals at the other end. The benefit is that comms services can extend transmission distances and overcome the signal loss associated with conventional coaxial cables, which carry radio signals as electrical impulses. When used over longer distances, these cables can deliver poor audio and video quality and even suffer complete signal dropouts.

The technique can be applied to any radio signal and is currently used in satellite communications, data centres and media broadcast. In live sports, such as Formula 1, broadcasters and teams use radio-over-fibre for ultra-fast, ultra-stable connections between broadcast and radio equipment across a racetrack.

Tapping into Aston University’s radio-over-fibre research into commercial use for the first time, the project will develop what is considered as a new and potentially more cost-effective prototype to amplify and extend radio signals through fibre optic cables. According to the partners, this will allow more sectors to benefit from “ultra-fast, reliable communications”, while helping to position the UK as a leader in advanced communication technologies.

Funded by Innovate UK – a non-departmental public body sponsored by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, responsible for funding and supporting organisations to make new products and services – KTPs are collaborations between a business, a university and a highly qualified research associate.

The UK-wide programme has the mission of assisting businesses in improving their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills. Aston University is a sector-leading KTP provider, ranked first for project quality, and joint first for the volume of active projects.

The radio-over-fibre scheme is the second KTP project with Aston University for Swindon-based Pulse Power & Measurement. The project brings the company’s engineers together with the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, one of the largest photonics research centres in the UK. Its researchers contribute to the development of new medical lasers and high-speed communications technology that underpin the internet and digital economy. In 2024, the institute was part of a collaboration that is said to have beaten the speed record for data transfer through commercially available optical fibres.

Commenting on the partnership, Mingming Tan, research fellow at the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, said: “We’re applying our research strengths in photonic communications to open the door for new sectors to benefit from radio-over-fibre technology. We’ll be transforming our latest research into a working commercial prototype that delivers new ways to amplify and send radio communications over long distances through fibre optic cables.”

Pulse Power & Measurement’s technical director Dan Bromley added: “We’ve built valuable relationships with Aston University, and they have smooth processes to make a collaboration like this work well for a company like Pulse Power & Measurement. This latest project provides  us with a dedicated space to focus on the long-term innovation of radio communications, giving our team the capability to develop new applications for fibre optics built on Aston University's academic expertise.”