Hybrid PON–RoF LTE Video Transmission with Experimental BLER Analysis and Amplifier Trade-Off

This study evaluates the performance of a hybrid passive optical network–radio over fiber (PON–RoF) architecture for long-term evolution (LTE)-based video transmission, focusing on the analysis of the block error rate (BLER) with and without an external RF amplifier. The results show that removing it improves receiver sensitivity by 4.04 dB in the optical link and 16 dB in the hybrid RoF link. The internal gain control of the USRP-2944R (Universal Software Radio Peripheral) is sufficient for signal processing without saturating the receiver. Furthermore, the received power levels are consistent with typical GPON sensitivity and overload ranges reported in standards, although the experimental setup corresponds to a continuous point-to-point laboratory link rather than a full GPON burst-mode configuration.