Redundant transponder array for a radio-over-fiber optical fiber cable

1. A method of providing transponder redundancy in a transponder array of two or more transponders operably supported by an optical fiber cable, comprising:

providing at least one transponder with first and second antennas adapted to operate at respective first and second normal operating frequencies so as to form corresponding first and second substantially co-located picocells;

forming at least the first picocell at the at least one transponder by providing the at least one transponder with at least a first signal having the first frequency; and

in the event that one transponder fails to form its corresponding first picocell, forming a backup picocell that covers at least a substantial portion of the failed transponder's first picocell by providing the second antenna of an adjacent transponder to the failed transponder with the first signal having the first frequency of the failed transponder.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency is about 5.2 GHz and the second frequency is about 2.4 GHz.

3. The method of claim 2 , including providing data service at the first frequency and voice service at the second frequency.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first antenna provides a first service, the second antenna provides a second service, and including terminating the second service of the first transponder in order to maintain the first service of the failed second transponder.

5. The method of claim 1 , including:

sending first and second optical signals to the at least one transponder over a RoF optical fiber cable coupled to a head-end station; and

converting the first and second optical signals to first and second electrical signals at the at least one transponder.

6. The method of claim 1 , including:

adapting the at least one transponder to operate in either a normal operating mode or a backup operating mode; and

providing the adjacent transponder with a control signal that changes the adjacent transponder's operating mode.

7. A redundant transponder array for a Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable, comprising:

two or more transponders operably supported by the radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable;

wherein at least one transponder has first and second antennas having respective first and second normal operating frequencies and that form corresponding first and second substantially co-located picocells in response to respective first and second signals having the first and second frequencies, respectively; and

wherein the second antenna is adapted to form a backup picocell that covers at least a substantial portion of the first picocell of the adjacent transponder when fed the signal of the first frequency.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the first and second antennas have respective normal operating frequencies in a 5.2 GHz band and a 2.4 GHz band.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the first and second antennas is a dipole antenna.

10. The system of claim 7 , including uplink and downlink optical fibers optically coupled to the at least one transponder.

11. A RoF picocellular wireless system according to claim 7 , comprising:

a head-end station adapted to provide first and second downlink signals for first and second service applications at the first and second frequencies, respectively;

a RoF optical fiber cable having the redundant transponder array of claim 7 , the optical fiber cable being optically coupled to the head-end station and adapted to provide the first and second downlink signals to the first and second antennas, respectively, of the at least one transponder; and

wherein the head-end station is adapted to detect a failed transponder and feed the first downlink signal being sent to the failed transponder to the second antenna of the adjacent transponder.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one transponder is switchable between a normal operating mode and a backup operating mode via a control signal.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the head-end station is adapted to provide the control signal to the at least one transponder.

14. A radio-over-fiber (RoF) optical fiber cable system with transponder redundancy, comprising:

two or more transponders adapted to convert RF optical signals to RF electrical signals and vice versa, wherein at least two transponders include first and second antennas adapted to form first and second substantially co-located picocells in response to first and second downlink RF signals at first and second frequencies, respectively, wherein the first and second picocells of adjacent transponders are substantially non-interfering;

corresponding two or more uplink and downlink optical fiber pairs, with each pair optically coupled to a corresponding transponder; and

wherein the second antenna is adapted to form a backup picocell that substantially overlaps the first picocell of the adjacent transponder when provided with the first downlink RF signal at first frequency of said adjacent transponder.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein at least one transponder is switchable between a normal operating mode and a backup operating mode via a control signal, and wherein the normal operating mode forms the substantially co-located first and second picocells, and wherein the backup mode forms the backup picocell.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the optical fiber cable has a length and wherein the first and second antennas include wire antennas arranged along the optical fiber cable length.

17. The system of claim 14 , further including a head-end station optically coupled to the downlink and uplink optical fibers of the optical fiber cable and adapted to generate first and second downlink optical RF signals at the respective first and second frequencies to be transmitted over the downlink optical fibers to one or more of the transponders, and to receive and process first and second uplink RE optical signals of the respective first and second frequencies from one or more of the transponders.

18. The system of claim 17 :

wherein at least one transponder is switchable between a normal operating mode and a backup operating mode via a control signal, and wherein the normal operating mode forms the substantially co-located first and second picocells, and wherein the backup mode forms the backup picocell; and

wherein the head-end station is adapted to:

i) detect a failed transponder;

ii) identify a transponder to serve as a backup transponder

iii) send a control signal to the backup transponder to change its operating state from the normal operating mode to the backup operating mode; and

iv) redirect downlink RF signals originally being sent to the failed transponder to the backup transponder to form the backup picocell.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the head-end station is adapted to provide a first service via the first downlink signal and a second service via the second downlink signal.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the first service is data service.