Shared radio access network methods and apparatus

Abstract

A network transceiver apparatus is configured to allow simultaneous carriage of multiple network operators' entire cellular spectrum traffic to and from wireless user devices using a wideband antenna. The wideband antenna provides a spherical radiation pattern that allows the operation of the wideband antenna at a power that is at least 8 dB below conventional techniques. An example wireless communication method, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments, includes configuring a transceiver apparatus comprising a transmit chain and a receive chain, and providing wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators' networks in a multi-user multi-input multi-output configuration.

Description

PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 SHARED RADIO ACCESS NETWORK METHODS AND APPARATUS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.63 / 593,925, filed on October 27, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present document relates to digital communication. BACKGROUND

[0003] Due to an explosive growth in the number of wireless user devices and the amount of wireless data that these devices can generate or consume, current wireless communication networks are fast running out of bandwidth to accommodate such a high growth in data traffic and provide high quality of service to users.

[0004] Various efforts are underway in the telecommunication industry to come up with next generation of wireless technologies that can keep up with the demand on performance of wireless devices and networks. Many of those activities involve situations in which a large number of user devices may be served by a network. SUMMARY

[0005] This document discloses techniques that may be used by wireless networks to achieve several operational improvements. In particular, embodiments of a radio access network transmission tower are disclosed. In one advantageous aspect, multiple network operators may be able to share the resources of the transmission tower to provide wireless connectivity to user devices.

[0006] In one example aspect, a transceiver apparatus comprising a transmit / receiving chain is disclosed. The apparatus includes, in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 operators; a channelizer that is configured to channelize a signal to be transmitted and de- channelize a baseband signal being received; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted and convert an RF signal being received to the baseband signal being received; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted and receive the RF signal being received using a multi-user (MU) multi-input multi-output (MIMO) configuration; and in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from the user device to the network, the wideband antenna, the wideband radio, the channelizer, the communication connection with the one or more distributed units and the communication connection with the one or more central units.

[0007] In yet another aspect, a transmission tower that includes the above-disclosed transceiver apparatus is disclosed. The wideband antenna is disposed on a top side of the transmission tower and the channelizer and the wideband radio are disposed at a base of the transmission tower.

[0008] In yet another aspect, a method of facilitating wireless communication comprises configuring the above-described transmission apparatus and providing wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators’ networks in a multi-user multi- input multi-output configuration.

[0009] In yet another aspect, a method of facilitating wireless communication comprises channelizing a signal to be transmitted by a transceiver apparatus, converting the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted, and transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted.

[0010] In yet another aspect, a method of facilitating wireless communication comprises receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal by a transceiver apparatus, converting the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received, de-channelizing the baseband signal being received to one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received, and processing the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received using a multi-user multi-input multi- output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

[0011] In yet another aspect, a method of facilitating wireless communication comprises de- channelizing a radio frequency (RF) signal being received by a transceiver apparatus, converting the de-channelized RF signal being received to a baseband signal, and processing the baseband signal using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0012] In yet another example aspect, a wireless communication system in which one or more of the above-described methods are implemented is disclosed.

[0013] In yet another example aspect, the above-described methods are embodied in the form of a computer-readable medium that stores processor-executable code for implementing the method.

[0014] In yet another example aspect, a transceiver apparatus comprising a transmit chain is disclosed. The apparatus includes, in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a channelizer configured to channelize one or more signals from the one or more distributed units into a channelized signal to be transmitted; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration.

[0015] In yet another example aspect, a transceiver apparatus comprising a receive chain is disclosed. The apparatus includes, in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from a user device to a network: a wideband antenna configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration; a wideband radio configured to convert the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received; a channelizer configured to de-channelize the baseband signal being received into one or more de-channelized baseband signals for one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a communication connection with the one or more distributed units; and a communication connection with one or more central units.

[0016] These, and other, features are described in this document. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG.1 shows an example communication network.

[0018] FIG.2 shows a simplified example of a wireless communication system in which uplink and downlink transmissions are performed.

[0019] FIG.3 shows an example of a transmit chain or a receive chain of a transceiver apparatus.

[0020] FIG.4 shows a configuration of a transmission tower example. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0021] FIG.5 shows an example of a Luneburg antenna with adjustable input feeds.

[0022] FIG.6 shows an example of a Luneburg antenna with mechanically adjustable input feed locations.

[0023] FIG.7 shows an example of precoding in a Luneburg antenna based transmission system.

[0024] FIG.8 shows an example of a hardware platform.

[0025] FIGS.9A–9D are flowcharts for example methods of facilitating digital communication. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] To make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of this disclosure more apparent, various embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise noted, embodiments and features in embodiments of the present document may be combined with each other.

[0027] Section headings are used in the present document to improve readability of the description and do not in any way limit the discussion or the embodiments to the respective sections only. Furthermore, certain standard-specific terms are used for illustrative purposes only, and the disclosed techniques are applicable to any wireless communication systems.

[0028] 1. Introduction – wireless communication environment examples

[0029] The wireless or time-variant nature of the communication channel poses several challenges in designing a transmission protocol suitable for wireless communication scenarios. These days, users expect their wireless devices to work everywhere and in a variety of mobile or stationary situations.

[0030] The relative movement of transmitters and receivers with respect to each other cause signal distortions such as varying channel delay, Doppler and / or angular spread, signal degradation due to ground clutter, sea clutter, and so on. Another example of signal degradation is flat fading in which an entire channel occupied by a transmission signal will experience fading or attenuation that may be relatively constant across the channel. In practice, a transmission scheme may need to be designed to fit within a certain link budget, maximum power constraint, or linearity of electronics used for transmitting or receiving signals.

[0031] 2. Example wireless systems

[0032] FIG.1 shows an example of a wireless communication system 100 in which a transmitter device 102 transmits signals to a receiver 104. The signals may undergo various wireless 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 channels and multipaths, as depicted. Some reflectors such as buildings and trees may be static, while others such as cars, may be moving scatterers. The transmitter device 102 may be, for example, a user device, a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer, or another Internet of Things (IoT) device such as a smartwatch, a camera, and so on. The receiver device 104 may be a network device such as the base station. The signals transmitted from the base station to the transmitter 102 may experience similar channel degradations produced by static or moving scatterers. The techniques described in the present document may be implemented by the devices in the wireless communication system 100. The terms “transmitter” and “receiver” are simply used for convenience of explanation. As further described herein, depending on the direction of transmission (uplink or downlink), the network station may be transmitting or receiving, and / or the user device may be receiving or transmitting.

[0033] FIG.2 shows a simplified wireless network to highlight certain aspects of the disclosed technology. A transmitter transmits wireless signals to a receiver in the wireless network. Some transmissions in the network, variously called as downlink or downstream transmissions, a network-side node such as a base station acts as a transmitter of wireless signals and one or more user devices act as the receiver of these wireless signals. For some other transmissions, as depicted in FIG.2, the direction of transmission may be reversed. Such transmissions are often called uplink or upstream transmissions. For such transmissions, one or more user devices act as transmitters of the wireless signals and a network-side node such as a base station acts as the receiver of these signals (as depicted in FIG.2). Other type of transmissions in the network may include device-to-device transmissions, sometimes called direct or sideband transmissions. While the present document primarily uses the terms “downlink” and “uplink” for the sake of convenience, similar techniques may also be used for other situations in which transmissions in two directions are performed - e.g., inbound or incoming transmissions that are received by a wireless device and outbound or outgoing transmissions that are transmitted by a wireless device. For example, downlink transmissions may be inbound transmissions for a user device, while outbound transmissions for a network device. Similarly, uplink transmission may be inbound transmissions for a network device while outbound transmissions from a wireless device. Therefore, for some embodiments, the disclosed techniques may also be described using terms such as “inbound” and “outbound” transmission without importing any 3GPP-specific or other wireless protocol-specific meaning to the terms “uplink” and “downlink.” 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0034] In frequency division multiplexing (FDM) networks, the transmissions to a base station and the transmissions from the base station may occupy different frequency bands (each of which may occupy continuous or discontinuous spectrum). In time division multiplexing (TDM) networks, the transmissions to a base station and the transmissions from the base station occupy a same frequency band but are separated in time domain using a TDM mechanism such as time slot-based transmissions.

[0035] 3. Technical advantages of the disclosed technology

[0036] It will be appreciated that the present document describes apparatus and methods for sharing a wideband antenna among multiple network operators. Such a design leads to a compact and lower power antenna and transmission tower than conventional techniques and implementations currently deployed in the industry.

[0037] In some embodiments, radio electronics may be shared among multiple network operators, allowing a physical separation of the electronics and the antennas.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the disclosed techniques may be used to transmit or receive time division duplexing (TDD) or frequency division duplexing (FDD) traffic between networks and user devices.

[0039] In some embodiments, multiple network operators, sometimes called “carriers” (e.g., Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T in the US) may be able to use a shared channelizer that receives an entire spectrum that includes licensed spectra of each carrier and be able to digitize and separate out each individual network operator’s traffic. Similarly, on the transmit side, a single shared channelizer may be used to radiate RF signals in different licensed spectra. In some embodiments, the shared channelizer may combine (i.e., channelize) one or more signals, each of the one or more signals carrying a different individual carrier’s traffic, into a signal to be transmitted (e.g., a baseband signal to be transmitted). Each of the one or more signals carrying a different individual carrier’s traffic may each be a baseband signal transmitted by each of the different individual carriers, respectively. In some embodiments, the shared channelizer may take a received signal and separate out (i.e., de-channelize) one or more signals, each containing different individual traffic meant for each of the different individual carriers, from the received signal. The received signal may be a baseband signal being received converted, by a wideband radio, from an RF signal being received. In one beneficial aspect, such a shared channelizer will reduce the space requirement and power requirement at transmission towers. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0040] In some embodiments, shared distributed unit (DU) and / or central unit (CU) may be used among different network operators. Furthermore, such a configuration may have the option to have customized configurations and features for each carrier. For example, in some embodiments, each of the one or more signals carrying a different individual carrier’s traffic may be baseband processed and transmitted by a respective shared distributed unit (DU) prior to channelization into a signal to be transmitted. In some embodiments, each of the one or more signals carrying a different individual carrier’s traffic may be received and baseband processed by a respective shared distributed unit (DU) after de-channelization of a baseband signal being received.

[0041] 3.1 Self-interference suppression examples

[0042] In one advantageous aspect, the use of a single wideband antenna allows implementations to eliminate use of diplexers in FDD systems.

[0043] In another advantageous aspect, the use of a shared wideband antenna and a shared radio facilitates suppression of adjacent channel interference and spectral spill over compared to current network configurations in which different network operators typically do not coordinate their transmissions.

[0044] In another beneficial aspect, the disclosed implementations can be controlled to provide an even spectral density and provides control over the radiated power in an entire wireless spectrum.

[0045] In another beneficial aspect, the proposed techniques can be used to simplify antenna configuration on cellular towers. For example, techniques may reduce weight, wind shear, power dissipation for a tower.

[0046] In another beneficial aspect, the use of a passive antenna lends itself to prolonged MTBF (mean time between failures) compared with active antennas typically employed in present day wireless networks.

[0047] In another beneficial aspect, wideband antennas allow for an omnidirectional gain and mitigation of ^^ ^^ ^^ଶ^ ^^^ effect (also denoted the cosine squared theta effect) in planar array typically used in present-day transmission tower configurations.

[0048] In some embodiments, an array of arrays may be used to further enhance spectral efficiency and spatial resolution. Such a configuration may be used to suppress Inter-sector Interference and enhance sector edge coverage. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0049] The disclosed techniques are used to reconfigure the towers and redress the way the network operators (sometimes called “carriers”) put together the infrastructure. Currently, cellular towers are designed such that for every carrier it will have a specific antenna for a specific band, and a radio transmitter / receiver for the band. As a result of such a slow evolution of various cellular technologies and protocols, presently, transmission tower designs are inefficient and consume a lot of power. Therefore, many transmission towers are inadequately designed to support the next generation of wireless networks in which MU-MIMO and a greater density of wireless device deployment is expected.

[0050] Recently, some companies have proposed using utility poles for cellular transmission and / or reception. However, the space constraint on utility poles is even more pronounced than a dedicated transmission tower.

[0051] In the disclosed embodiments, a single electronic component or equipment can be used to terminate (or radiate) all the spectrum (which may include licensed spectrum of multiple network operators). For example, the spectrum may include various frequency channels near the 600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 2GHz spectral regions. In the disclosed embodiments, a baseband stage is configured to generate a spectrum that covers all of these different bands that are supported by each of the carriers, and further configured to receive and process different channels of the spectrum. Furthermore, the baseband stage can be configured by each carrier to transmit and / or receive signals in its own spectral slice.

[0052] In the disclosed embodiments, the baseband processing is shared across all the carriers. The baseband processing may essentially span all the spectrum. On the way to RF radiation, the entire spectrum may be processed and fed through a wide-band antenna (e.g., wideband antenna). In various embodiments, a Vivaldi antenna or a Luneburg lens may be used. The wideband antenna may also be similarly configured to receive the whole spectrum and feed it back for baseband processing.

[0053] The baseband processing for the downlink and / or the uplink may use high speed analog- to-digital (A2D) or digital-to-analog (D2A) conversion. These A2D or D2A converters may be configured to operate on the full spectrum, for example, from 600 MHz to 2.6 GHz.

[0054] 3.2 Luneburg antenna examples

[0055] In some embodiments, the wideband antenna may use a Luneburg lens that provides a single antenna that is wideband in coverage and is omnidirectional. One beneficial aspect is that 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 a Luneburg antenna will not have the cosine squared theta effect observed in linear element antennas. In other words, the radiation pattern of this antenna is uniform across all directions because of the shape. In some embodiments, the antenna may be coupled to multiple feeds and eventually create an array that carries traffic for all network operators. The feed itself would be wide band. And then eventually these feeds may be placed around the Luneburg lens. Different from present day antennas, which are typically linear elements and require physical separation (e.g., 25 inches or so) to ensure mitigation of interference, because a Luneburg antenna will carry traffic such as for entirety of 600 MHz to 2.6 GHz, the feeds for the Luneburg antenna do not require the same physical separation constraints as the present day antenna configurations.

[0056] Although triband antennas may be used to carry an entire spectrum, these antennas require half-lambda separation between antenna elements depending on the frequency of support. For example, some half-lambda antenna elements may be tuned to 600 MHz, other half-lambda antenna elements may be tuned to 700 MHz, and yet other half-lambda antenna elements may be tuned to a third frequency, thereby resulting in dedicated antennas depending on spectrum of operation. An example apparatus includes a port for the 600 MHz communication, a port for the 700 MHz communication, and the like. Thus, within the same physical package, embodiments may interleave different feed elements that correspond to different bands.

[0057] In the described embodiments, the use of a hemispherical or a spherical omnidirectional wideband antenna such as the Luneburg lens will overcome such a physical separation constraint of antenna elements.

[0058] 3.3 MU-MIMO embodiment examples

[0059] Some embodiments may be configured to implement MIMO with Luneburg antennas or lenses. An array of antenna elements could be essentially considered as a configuration in which signals are sampled in the spatial domain. For example, for elements that are separated every half lambda (wavelength of frequency band of transmission), spatial beams may be generated via Fourier transform. In such embodiments, the antenna plane generates a field that is then transferred across the aperture to follow a radiation pattern.

[0060] In other words, there is a duality between the spatial distribution of the field and the radiation pattern. But via the Luneburg lens, the feeds represent the radiation pattern because an element, in an ideal Luneburg lens, is effectively a delta-time (time difference or time delay) where the feed is started in the direction where the radiation is going to go, because the Luneburg 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 lens converts a spherical wave that is radiated from the feed element into a planar wave. Thus, in these systems, the radiation pattern across the Luneburg sphere represents the actual radiation pattern.

[0061] Some of the described embodiments are sampling the radiation pattern under the practical assumption that the aperture is not infinite, the spherical antenna does not completely cover the entire channel band, and the like. Similarly, the radiation pattern is not described using a delta function, but using a jinc function (which is further detailed in Section 3.6). The corresponding implementation would have every feed as a jinc function with a certain radiation pattern based on one or more parameters, e.g., aperture size, and these jinc functions are used to create the beam with the desired beam pattern, spacing, and the like. This paradigm can be extended to the multi-user framework, e.g., in a simple case, each of two feeds is configured in a different direction with some overlap, with each feed corresponding to a different jinc function, a different spherical wave, etc., thereby providing a MU-MIMO implementation.

[0062] In the described embodiments, the Luneburg antenna is an example of a more general wideband antenna that has minimum coupling between the feeds because the lens itself creates isolation between the feeds, i.e., compared to a regular antenna array where the elements are much closer to each other. However, despite the isolation provided, calibration and adjustment operations are typically performed to account for any mutual coupling.

[0063] 3.4 Power savings examples

[0064] As discussed earlier, due to its spherical shape, a Luneburg lens has an almost equal gain across its surface (e.g., it does not have the cosine square effect of a flat surface), and this advantageously provides power savings. A 40W port receives 40W; but in the case of a Luneburg antenna, the 40W is equally distributed over the entire (hemi)spherical surface, e.g., the entire 120 degrees, which results in only 3W-5W being needed once the gain of the Luneburg antenna has been factored in. This allows the same effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) to be achieved by trading off the antenna gain and the power. For example, compared to a regular antenna with 17dB gain using 40W, if we were to use a Luneburg antenna with a 25dB or 27dB gain, then only 4W-5W would be needed to achieve the same EIRP.

[0065] In high-power systems, e.g., systems that require 400W (instead of 40W), the required power can be supported by using multiple power amplifiers, each power amplifier configured to support a different band, and then combined back to multiple filters prior to entering the feed. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 Alternatively, the number of power amplifiers could be reduced by using Luneburg antennas, each having a higher individual gain and supporting a wider bandwidth. Again, this would achieve the same EIRP across the whole spectrum.

[0066] Existing wireless communication systems are typically configured to use 2W per MHz, which results in using regular antennas with 17dB gain and matching the maximum EIRP allowed. However, using Luneburg antennas according to the disclosed embodiments enables the 2W per MHz metric to be reduced because of the higher gains of the antennas, while still supporting multiple bands and the entire spectrum, as discussed above.

[0067] Embodiments of the disclosed technology enable available space to be utilized more effectively in a power-efficient manner. For example, if a bandwidth of 600 MHz were to be supported, MIMO systems with Luneburg antennas can be implemented. For example, a 4- transmit / 4-receive (4×4) system, an 8×8 system, or a higher antenna system can be deployed based on the band frequency. An example system can be deployed using an 8×4 antenna array or a 4×8 antenna array, with 8 antennas in azimuth and 4 antennas in elevation. Using space- efficient Luneburg antennas, the same aperture can be achieved with fewer elements. For example, a system could support 12 ports across 120 degree in 3.5 GHz. Furthermore, the width of the jinc function that underlies the feeds can be used to determine the spacing between the antennas. This provides uniform and efficient sampling in the far-field.

[0068] In some embodiments, the disclosed technology can be implemented using the described A2Ds, D2As, power amplifiers, and wideband antennas. Thus, Luneburg antennas can be leveraged in a space-efficient manner to support MU-MIMO.

[0069] 3.5 Antenna geometric stacking examples

[0070] The described embodiments can be integrated into cooperative multipoint (COMP) systems, which presently use regular antenna arrays that are typically separated by roughly half a meter (based on the typical wavelengths used) to mitigate the harmful effects of coupling between antennas. That is, adjacent antennas in COMP systems are separated by about 25 inches, which can be exploited by adding a Luneburg antenna / lens with roughly the same diameter in between adjacent regular antennas. A Luneburg antenna is a passive component that includes no active electronics, and it could be integrated using connected cable antenna hanging. The passive nature of the Luneburg antenna makes it more resilient than current antennas that rely on extensive electronics, which may fail—requiring both identifying that a failure has occurred and 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 fixing the failure, e.g., replacing the electronic component. Further, the (hemi)spherical shape of the Luneburg antenna is preferable to a panel (typically used by a regular antenna) from a wind- loading perspective. Panels may be subjected to significant wind shear, which is not relevant for an implementation of Luneburg antennas. As such, the disclosed embodiments have a greater mean time between failure (MTBF) metric than that of regular electronics-based antennas.

[0071] Incorporating Luneburg antennas, in accordance with the disclosed embodiments, into existing towers with regular antenna arrays will extend the aperture, increase and improve the resolution (e.g., for improving the measurement of the angle of arrival), and provide a spectrum multiplier. In some embodiments, vertical stacking of Luneburg antennas, horizontal stacking, or a combination of the two can be implemented. An example is shown in FIG.4.

[0072] 3.6 Additional Luneburg antenna implementations

[0073] As discussed above, the described embodiments can be implemented using one or more Luneburg antennas. One of the properties of a Luneburg antenna is that the angular direction of the beams is a function of the locations of the input feeds, as seen in FIG.5.

[0074] FIG.5 shows an example of a Luneburg antenna with adjustable input feeds. Two input feeds Y^and Yଶare set at locations ξ^and ξଶ, creating beams pointing to angles θ^and θଶ. Changing the locations ξ^and ξଶhorizontal axis will also change θ^and θଶ.

[0075] When using aantenna, it is possible to adjust the locations of the input feeds, such that non-precoded output beams will be pointing towards the remote devices (e.g., user devices). For this, a Luneburg antenna with mechanically adjustable locations of the input feeds is useful, as shown in the example of FIG.6. FIG.6 shows an example of a Luneburg antenna with mechanically adjustable input feeds’ locations. In this example, the Luneburg lens has 27 input feeds which are dual-polarization antennas, arranged in 3 different elevation rows, each row consisting of 9 antennas. In each row, the antenna elements are placed on an azimuth rail and the location of each antenna may be adjusted in azimuth. Similarly, an elevation rail may also be used to adjust the elevation of each beam.

[0076] On top of the mechanical adjustment, further shaping of the radiation pattern of the beams is possible by means of precoding (or postcoding of received signals).

[0077] FIG.7 illustrates a precoding example for two input streams and two output beams. In some embodiments, the number of signals passed between the precoding (or postcoding) operation and feed inputs (or outputs) of the antenna may be greater than the number of wireless 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 stations (e.g., user devices). For example, multiple signals may be combined via additive or subtractive combination to achieve directionality to / from some wireless stations.

[0078] By feeding each input symbol to all antenna feeds, but with different weights, the transmitted beams may be shaped to maximize the SINR (signal to interference and noise ratio) at each target. Similarly, the received symbols from all antenna feeds, may be processed after applying different weights to them, to maximize the receive SINR.

[0079] Luneburg precoding example

[0080] Two input symbols ^^^and ^^ଶare precoded with weights ^^^,^creating the two input feeds to the antenna ^^^and ^^ଶ. In a vector notation, ^^ ൌ ^^ ∙ ^^, ^^ is a matrix with elements ^^^,^.

[0081] Multi-layer multi-beam systems for mobile devices

[0082] For mobile devices, such as the case of a Radio-Access-Network (RAN), the beams may be dynamically generated to point to the directions of a selected set of devices. In some embodiments, uplink channel measurements are enough to design these beams.

[0083] When using a Luneburg antenna for this purpose, the input feeds may be adjusted to output non-precoded beams, which are evenly spaced in the angular domain. After precoding, the beams will approximately maximize the SINR at each target device (e.g., user device).

[0084] Multi-beam precoding

[0085] For an antenna with ^^ input ports, let ^^^^^^^, be a function modeling the ^^thbeam generated by input ports ^^ ൌ 1, … , ^^, as a function of the angle ^^. For example, a linear antenna array may be modeled by ^^^^^^^ൌ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ and a Luneburg antenna may be modeled by a one- dimensional jinc function, as given by ^^ ^ ^^^ ൌ ^^ ^ ^ ^^^^^2 ^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ൌ 22 ^^ ^^where ^^^^∙^ is a Bessel function of the first kind, ^^ ൌ^ఒ ^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ െ ^̅^^^, ^^ is the wavelength and ^̅^^is the center of the desired angular beam.

[0086] For the purpose of precoding ^^ ^ ^^ different streams of information symbols, define ^^ output ports, which are angular targets, defined by ^^^, ^^ ൌ 1, … , ^^, where an embodiment may target to focus each stream’s energy and avoidfrom other streams. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0087] Note that, for a Luneburg antenna, it is recommended that ^̅^^ൌ ^^^, for ^^ ൌ 1, … , ^^ and the remaining beams (if any exist), ^^ ൌ ^^ ^ 1, … , ^^, are at chosen angles that will meet side- lobes radiation constraints and desired SINR.

[0088] The precoder will shape the radiation patterns, such that around any angle ^^^, the energy of output port ^^ is maximized, while the energy of all other ports ^^ ് ^^ are minimized. To achieve this, each input symbol ^^^is fed to all the ^^ input ports after multiplying it with a weight vector. More formally, let ^^ be a ^^ ൈ ^^ weights matrix. Then, the actual ^^ inputs feeding the Luneburg antenna are computed as ^^ ൌ ^^ ∙ ^^. An example of precoding with two ports was given in FIG. 7. The precoder, ^^, is computed from a mathematical basis derived from ^^^^ ^^^, the Fourier transform of ^^^^ ^^^, and angular windows around ^^^, specifying angular constraints.

[0089] In some embodiments, the output signal a number of signals that is equal orgreater than a number of the multiple wireless These signals may be components of the output signal that may represent multiple logical signal streams which may be combined to achieve directionality, e.g., as described with respect to FIG.7.

[0090] 4. Examples and implementations of the disclosed technology

[0091] FIG.8 is a block diagram representation of a wireless hardware platform 800 (or, hardware platform 800) which may be used to implement the various methods described in the present document. The hardware platform 800 may be incorporated within a base station or a user device. The hardware platform 800 includes a processor 802, a memory 804 (this may be optional and in some cases the memory may be internal to the processor) and a transceiver circuitry 806. The processor may execute instructions, e. g., by reading from the memory 804, and control the operation of the transceiver circuitry 806 and the hardware platform 800 to perform the methods described herein. In some embodiments, the memory 804 and / or the transceiver circuitry 806 may be partially or completely contained within the processor 802 (e.g., same semiconductor package).

[0092] FIG.9A is a flowchart of an example method 900 of facilitating digital communication. The method 900 includes, at operation 902, configuring a transceiver apparatus comprising a transmit chain and a receive chain. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0093] The method 900 includes, at operation 904, providing wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators’ networks in a multi-user multi-input multi- output configuration.

[0094] FIG.9B is a flowchart of an example method 910 of facilitating digital communication. The method 910 includes, at operation 912, channelizing a signal to be transmitted. In some embodiments, at operation 912, channelizing a signal to be transmitted may include combining (i.e., channelizing) multiple signals, such as multiple baseband signals, to be transmitted.

[0095] The method 910 includes, at operation 914, converting the channelized signal to an RF signal, and at operation 916, transmitting the RF signal.

[0096] FIG.9C is a flowchart of an example method 920 of facilitating digital communication. The method 920 includes, at operation 922, de-channelizing an RF signal being received.

[0097] The method 920 includes, at operation 924, converting the de-channelized signal from RF to a baseband signal. In some embodiments, at operation 924, converting the de-channelized signal may include converting multiple de-channelized signals, which have been separated out (i.e., de-channelized) from the RF signal being received, from RF to multiple baseband signals.

[0098] The method 920 includes, at operation 926, processing the baseband signal using a multi- user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration. In some embodiments, at operation 926, processing the baseband signal may include processing the multiple baseband signals using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration.

[0099] FIG.9D is a flowchart of an example method 930 of facilitating digital communication. The method 930 includes, at operation 932, receiving an RF signal.

[0100] The method 930 includes, at operation 934, converting the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received.

[0101] The method 930 includes, at operation 936, de-channelizing the baseband signal being received to one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received.

[0102] The method 930 includes, at operation 938, processing the one or more de- channelized baseband signals being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration.

[0103] The following solutions may be preferably implemented by some embodiments.

[0104] 1. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a channelizer that is configured to channelize a signal to be transmitted and de-channelize a baseband signal being received; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted and convert an RF signal being received to the baseband signal being received; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted and receive the RF signal being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration; and in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from the user device to the network: the wideband antenna, the wideband radio, the channelizer, the communication connection with the one or more distributed units, and the communication connection with the one or more central units. In an example, the transmit chain and the receive chain are as shown in FIG.3, and used in method 900 shown in FIG.9A. In another example, the transmit chain and the receive chain are used to implement methods 910 and 920 shown in FIGS.9B and 9C, respectively.

[0105] 2. The transceiver apparatus of solution 1, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna. In an example, the spherical Luneburg antenna is as shown and described in FIGS.5-7 and Sections 3.2, 3.5 and 3.6 that detail its various aspects.

[0106] 3. The transceiver apparatus of any of above solutions comprising a controller configured to configure the wideband radio to generate a radiation pattern according to the MU- MIMO configuration. In an example, the radiation pattern is described in Section 3.3 and 3.6, and may be described using jinc functions.

[0107] 4. The transceiver apparatus of any of above solutions, wherein the transceiver apparatus includes multiple wideband antennas.

[0108] 5. The transceiver apparatus of any of above solutions, wherein the wideband antenna comprises at least 7 GHz bandwidth.

[0109] 6. The transceiver apparatus of any of above solutions, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to operate at a power level of less than 40W. In an example, a power of less than 40W can be used based on the embodiments described in Section 3.4, which relies on the improved gain of Luneburg antennas based on the disclosed technology.

[0110] 7. A transmission tower comprising the transceiver apparatus of any of above solutions, wherein the wideband antenna is disposed on a top side of the transmission tower and 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 the channelizer and the wideband radio are disposed at a base of the transmission tower. In an example, the transmission tower is as shown in FIG.4, and includes multiple Luneburg antennas.

[0111] 8. A method of facilitating wireless communication (e.g., method 900 depicted in FIG.9A), comprising: configuring (902) the transceiver apparatus recited in any of solutions 1-6; and providing (904) wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators’ networks in a multi-user multi-input multi-output configuration. In an example, the method is shown in FIG.9A.

[0112] 9. The method of solution 8, wherein the wireless connectivity uses a combination of time division duplexing (TDD), frequency division duplexing (FDD), and space division duplexing (SDD).

[0113] 10. A method of facilitating wireless communication (e.g., method 910 depicted in FIG.9B), comprising: channelizing (912) a signal to be transmitted by a transceiver apparatus; converting (914) the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted; and transmitting (916) the RF signal to be transmitted.

[0114] 11. A method of facilitating wireless communication (e.g., method 930 depicted in FIG.9D), comprising: receiving (932) a radio frequency (RF) signal by a transceiver apparatus; converting (934) the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received; de- channelizing (936) the baseband signal being received to one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received; and processing (938) the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

[0115] 12. The method of solution 10, wherein the channelizing the signal comprises channelizing a first signal and a second signal into the channelized signal to be transmitted, the first signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and the second signal carrying traffic for a second network operator. In an example, the channelizing of one or more signals belonging to different multiple network operators with a channelizer is as shown and described in FIG.3 and Section 3.

[0116] 13. The method of solution 11, wherein the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received comprises a first de-channelized baseband signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and a second de-channelized baseband signal carrying traffic for a second network operator. In an example, the de-channelizing of a signal being received into one or more 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 de-channelized baseband signals for different network operators is as shown and described in FIG.3 and Section 3.

[0117] 14. The method of solution 10 or 11, wherein a baseband processing for the signal to be transmitted or the processing the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received is shared across different network operators. In an example, the sharing of baseband processing across carriers is described in Section 3.1.

[0118] 15. The method of any solutions 10 to 14, wherein the RF signal to be transmitted is transmitted through a wideband antenna or the RF signal being received is received through the wideband antenna.

[0119] 16. The method of solution 15, wherein the transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted comprises generating beams of the wideband antenna.

[0120] 17. The method of solution 16, wherein the generating the beams of the wideband antenna is based on uplink channel measurements.

[0121] 18. The method of solutions 16 or 17, wherein the wideband antenna comprises mechanically adjustable input feeds to adjust a location of the input feeds, wherein the adjusting the location of the input feeds shapes a radiation pattern of the beams of the wideband antenna. In an example, a wideband antenna with adjustable input feeds, including mechanically adjustable feeds, is as shown and described in FIGS.5-6 and Section 3.6.

[0122] 19. The method of solution 18, wherein the mechanically adjustable input feeds are dual-polarization antennas. In an example, adjustable dual-polarization antennas are as shown and described in FIG.6 and Section 3.6.

[0123] 20. The method of solution 19, wherein the dual polarization antennas are placed on an azimuth rail and a location of each of the dual polarization antennas is adjusted in azimuth.

[0124] 21. The method of solutions 19 or 20, wherein the dual polarization antennas are placed on an elevation rail and each beam of the dual polarization antennas is adjusted in elevation.

[0125] 22. The method of any solutions 15 to 21, wherein a radiation pattern for the wideband antenna is based on a jinc function.

[0126] 23. The method of solution 22, wherein each input signal to be fed into the wideband antenna corresponds to the jinc function with a certain radiation pattern based on an aperture size. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0127] 24. The method of any solutions 15 to 23, wherein the method further comprises precoding one or more input signals to be fed into the wideband antenna to shape a radiation pattern for the wideband antenna based on a weights matrix. In an example, the precoding of input signals to a wideband antenna is as shown and described in FIG.7 and Section 3.6.

[0128] 25. The method of any solutions 15 to 24, wherein a radiation pattern for transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted through the wideband antenna is generated according to a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

[0129] 26. The method of solution 25, wherein the MU-MIMO configuration comprises two or more input signals to be fed into the wideband antenna, wherein each of the two or more input signals are configured in a different direction with some overlap, and wherein the each of the two or more input signals correspond to one or more of a different jinc function or a different spherical wave.

[0130] 27. The method of any solutions 15 to 26, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

[0131] 28. A method of facilitating wireless communication (e.g., method 920 depicted in FIG.9C), comprising: de-channelizing (922) a radio frequency (RF) signal being received by a transceiver apparatus; converting (924) the de-channelized RF signal being received to a baseband signal; and processing (926) the baseband signal using a multi-user multi-input multi- output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

[0132] 29. The method of solution 28, wherein the baseband signal comprises a first baseband signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and a second baseband signal carrying traffic for a second network operator.

[0133] 30. The method of solution 28, wherein the processing the baseband signal is shared across different network operators.

[0134] 31. The method of solution 28, wherein the RF signal being received is received through a wideband antenna.

[0135] 32. The method of solution 31, wherein the de-channelizing the RF signal being received is performed by a channelizer disposed between the wideband antenna and a wideband radio.

[0136] 33. The method of solution 32, wherein the converting the dechannelized RF signal being received to the baseband signal is performed by the wideband radio. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0137] 34. The method of any solutions 28 to 33, wherein the method further comprises postcoding of the RF signal being received using different weights.

[0138] 35. The method of any solutions 31 to 34, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

[0139] 36. A wireless communication system with an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to implement a method recited in any of solutions 8 to 35.

[0140] 37. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one computing device, perform any of the methods recited in solutions 8 to 35.

[0141] 38. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a channelizer configured to channelize one or more signals from the one or more distributed units into a channelized signal to be transmitted; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration. In an example, the transmit chain is as shown in FIG.3, and used in method 900 shown in FIG.9A. In another example, the transmit chain is used to implement method 910 shown in FIG.9B.

[0142] 39. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from a user device to a network: a wideband antenna configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration; a wideband radio configured to convert the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received; a channelizer configured to de-channelize the baseband signal being received into one or more de-channelized baseband signals for one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a communication connection with the one or more distributed units; and a communication connection with one or more central units. In an example, the receive chain is as shown in FIG.3, and used in method 900 shown in FIG.9A. In another example, the receive chain is used to implement methods 920 and 930 shown in FIGS.9C and 9D, respectively. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0143] 40. The transceiver apparatus of any solutions 38 to 39, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna. In an example, the spherical Luneburg antenna is as shown and described in FIGS.5-7 and Sections 3.2, 3.5 and 3.6 that detail its various aspects.

[0144] 41. The transceiver apparatus of solution 38, further comprising a controller configured to configure the wideband radio to generate a radiation pattern according to the MU- MIMO configuration. In an example, the radiation pattern is described in Section 3.3 and 3.6, and may be described using jinc functions.

[0145] 42. The transceiver apparatus of any solutions 38 to 41, wherein the transceiver apparatus includes multiple wideband antennas.

[0146] 43. The transceiver apparatus of any solutions 38 to 42, wherein the wideband antenna comprises at least 7 GHz bandwidth.

[0147] 44. The transceiver apparatus of any solutions 38 to 43, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to operate at a power level of less than 40W. In an example, a power of less than 40W can be used based on the embodiments described in Section 3.4, which relies on the improved gain of Luneburg antennas based on the disclosed technology.

[0148] It will be appreciated that the present document provides various methods and techniques for providing wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators’ networks in a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

[0149] It will further be appreciated that the disclosed techniques are flexible and may be used in many different communication scenarios such as radio access networks (RANs) for mobile device communication in various frequency bands such as in the mega, giga or tera hertz ranges. In some embodiments, the disclosed techniques may be used in a fixed wireless access scenario in which a base station and / or user devices may be located at relatively stationary locations. Other application scenarios include use of the disclosed techniques using non- terrestrial equipment such as satellites, airborne devices such as airplanes, balloons, drones, etc. The communication channel in such cases may comprise aerial-to-ground, ground-to-aerial or ariel-to-ariel communication; underwater acoustic wave communication; deep space communication and so on. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0150] The disclosed and other embodiments, modules and the functional operations described in this document can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structures disclosed in this document and their structural equivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. The disclosed and other embodiments can be implemented as one or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus. The computer readable medium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more them. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers. The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or a combination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is an artificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal, that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.

[0151] A computer program (also known as a program, software, software application, script, or code) can be written in any form of programming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0152] The processes and logic flows described in this document can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 functions by operating on input data and generating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performed by, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit).

[0153] Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, by way of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory or a random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computer need not have such devices. Computer readable media suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purpose logic circuitry.

[0154] While this patent document contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of an invention that is claimed or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this document in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or a variation of a sub-combination. Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00

[0155] Only a few examples and implementations are disclosed. Variations, modifications, and enhancements to the described examples and implementations and other implementations can be made based on what is disclosed. 169145500.1

Claims

PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a channelizer that is configured to channelize a signal to be transmitted and de- channelize a baseband signal being received; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted and convert an RF signal being received to the baseband signal being received; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted and receive the RF signal being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration; and in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from the user device to the network: the wideband antenna, the wideband radio, the channelizer, the communication connection with the one or more distributed units, and the communication connection with the one or more central units.

2. The transceiver apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

3. The transceiver apparatus of claim 2, comprising a controller configured to configure the wideband radio to generate a radiation pattern according to the MU-MIMO configuration.

4. The transceiver apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transceiver apparatus includes multiple wideband antennas.

5. The transceiver apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wideband antenna comprises at least 7 GHz bandwidth. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 6. The transceiver apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to operate at a power level of less than 40W.

7. A transmission tower comprising the transceiver apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein the wideband antenna is disposed on a top side of the transmission tower and the channelizer and the wideband radio are disposed at a base of the transmission tower.

8. A method of facilitating wireless communication, comprising: configuring the transceiver apparatus recited in any of claims 1-6; and providing wireless connectivity to multiple user devices operating in multiple network operators’ networks in a multi-user multi-input multi-output configuration.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless connectivity uses a combination of time division duplexing, frequency division duplexing, and space division duplexing.

10. A method of facilitating wireless communication, comprising: channelizing a signal to be transmitted by a transceiver apparatus; converting the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted; and transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted.

11. A method of facilitating wireless communication, comprising: receiving a radio frequency (RF) signal by a transceiver apparatus; converting the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received; de-channelizing the baseband signal being received to one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received; and processing the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the channelizing the signal comprises channelizing a first signal and a second signal into the channelized signal to be transmitted, the first signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and the second signal carrying traffic for a second network operator. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received comprises a first de-channelized baseband signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and a second de-channelized baseband signal carrying traffic for a second network operator.

14. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein a baseband processing for the signal to be transmitted or the processing the one or more de-channelized baseband signals being received is shared across different network operators.

15. The method of any claims 10 to 14, wherein the RF signal to be transmitted is transmitted through a wideband antenna or the RF signal being received is received through the wideband antenna.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted comprises generating beams of the wideband antenna.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the generating the beams of the wideband antenna is based on uplink channel measurements.

18. The method of claims 16 or 17, wherein the wideband antenna comprises mechanically adjustable input feeds to adjust a location of the input feeds, wherein the adjusting the location of the input feeds shapes a radiation pattern of the beams of the wideband antenna.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the mechanically adjustable input feeds are dual- polarization antennas.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the dual-polarization antennas are placed on an azimuth rail and a location of each of the dual polarization antennas is adjusted in azimuth.

21. The method of claims 19 or 20, wherein the dual polarization antennas are placed on an elevation rail and each beam of the dual polarization antennas is adjusted in elevation.

22. The method of any claims 15 to 21, wherein a radiation pattern for the wideband antenna is based on a jinc function.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each input signal to be fed into the wideband antenna corresponds to the jinc function with a certain radiation pattern based on an aperture size. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 24. The method of any claims 15 to 23, wherein the method further comprises precoding one or more input signals to be fed into the wideband antenna to shape a radiation pattern for the wideband antenna based on a weights matrix.

25. The method of any claims 15 to 24, wherein a radiation pattern for transmitting the RF signal to be transmitted through the wideband antenna is generated according to a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the MU-MIMO configuration comprises two or more input signals to be fed into the wideband antenna, wherein each of the two or more input signals are configured in a different direction with some overlap, and wherein the each of the two or more input signals correspond to one or more of a different jinc function or a different spherical wave.

27. The method of any claims 15 to 26, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

28. A method of facilitating wireless communication, comprising: de-channelizing a radio frequency (RF) signal being received by a transceiver apparatus; converting the de-channelized RF signal being received to a baseband signal; and processing the baseband signal using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) configuration.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the baseband signal comprises a first baseband signal carrying traffic for a first network operator and a second baseband signal carrying traffic for a second network operator.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the processing the baseband signal is shared across different network operators.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the RF signal being received is received through a wideband antenna. 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the de-channelizing the RF signal being received is performed by a channelizer disposed between the wideband antenna and a wideband radio.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the converting the dechannelized RF signal being received to the baseband signal is performed by the wideband radio.

34. The method of any claims 28 to 33, wherein the method further comprises postcoding of the RF signal being received using different weights.

35. The method of any claims 31 to 34, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

36. A wireless communication system with an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to implement a method recited in any of claims 8 to 35.

37. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which when executed by at least one computing device, perform any of the methods recited in claims 8 to 35.

38. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: in a transmit chain in an order in which data travels from a network to a user device: a communication connection with one or more central units; a communication connection with one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a channelizer configured to channelize one or more signals from the one or more distributed units into a channelized signal to be transmitted; a wideband radio configured to convert the channelized signal to be transmitted to a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted; and a wideband antenna configured to transmit the RF signal to be transmitted using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration.

39. A transceiver apparatus, comprising: 169145500.1PCT Patent Application Attorney Docket No.: 119314.8119.WO00 in a receive chain in an order in which data travels from a user device to a network: a wideband antenna configured to receive a radio frequency (RF) signal being received using a multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU MIMO) configuration; a wideband radio configured to convert the RF signal being received to a baseband signal being received; a channelizer configured to de-channelize the baseband signal being received into one or more de-channelized baseband signals for one or more distributed units operated by different network operators; a communication connection with the one or more distributed units; and a communication connection with one or more central units.

40. The transceiver apparatus of any claims 38 to 39, wherein the wideband antenna comprises a spherical Luneburg antenna.

41. The transceiver apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a controller configured to configure the wideband radio to generate a radiation pattern according to the MU-MIMO configuration.

42. The transceiver apparatus of any claims 38 to 41, wherein the transceiver apparatus includes multiple wideband antennas.

43. The transceiver apparatus of any claims 38 to 42, wherein the wideband antenna comprises at least 7 GHz bandwidth.

44. The transceiver apparatus of any claims 38 to 43, wherein the transceiver apparatus is configured to operate at a power level of less than 40W. 169145500.1

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