Frequency-shifting nodes for wireless communication systems

Abstract

This disclosure includes systems, methods, and apparatuses for shifting a telecommunication signal from a first frequency band to a second frequency band without full demodulation. The apparatus includes a first communication interface to receive the signal, frequency-conversion circuitry, a second communication interface to transmit in the second band, and control circuitry that manages time- or frequency-division operation. Additional features include local oscillators, mixers, phased-array antennas for beamforming, and configurable parallel paths that allow concurrent signal processing. A monitoring module can measure performance metrics, respond to congestion or interference, and provide remote diagnostics. By interfacing with a MIMO system or bridging C-band signals to other transport layers, the apparatus extends coverage and alleviates band congestion while maintaining transparent conveyance of telecommunication traffic.

Description

FREQUENCY-SHIFTING NODES FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMSRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 19 / 630,191, filed on March 26, 2026, titled “Frequency-Shifting Nodes for Wireless Communication Systems” and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 778,309, filed on March 26, 2025, also titled “Frequency-Shifting Nodes for Wireless Communication Systems,” each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This disclosure relates to telecommunication devices, including wireless telecommunication devices.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0003] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication link in which a telecommunication signal is conveyed between two separate coverage areas using different frequency bands, according to one embodiment.

[0004] FIG. 2 illustrates another configuration of a wireless communication link using frequency-shifting nodes, according to one embodiment.

[0005] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a frequency-shifting node embodied within a donor unit, according to various embodiments.

[0006] FIG. 4 illustrates the donor unit in a loopback configuration with a bypassed upconverter, according to one embodiment.

[0007] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart of an example method for shifting a telecommunication signal, according to one embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] In the field of telecommunications, frequency conversion is a critical process that enables the transmission and reception of signals across different frequency bands. Traditional approaches to frequency conversion often involve fully demodulating the incoming signal to the baseband, processing it, and then modulating it back to the desired1PIV1020frequency band. This method, although effective, can introduce latency and complexity, as it requires additional processing steps and components, including demodulators, modulators, and baseband processors. These additional components can increase the cost, power consumption, and / or delay of the system, making it less efficient for certain applications.

[0009] In various embodiments, the disclosed systems and methods provide frequency-shifting nodes that relay a telecommunication signal by converting the telecommunication signal from one frequency band to another without fully demodulating the underlying signal or decoding the data. Each frequency-shifting node includes frequency conversion circuitry, such as up- and down-conversion circuits, local oscillator sources, and filters. Each frequency-shifting node may further include control circuitry, such as a microcontroller, that manages time-division duplex (TDD) or frequency-division duplex (FDD) operations. By avoiding full demodulation, the apparatus and methods preserve the original telecommunication protocol while lowering costs, latency, and complexity compared to conventional baseband conversion techniques.

[0010] As used herein, in many embodiments, a telecommunication signal is not "fully demodulated or decoded" when user payload data is not recovered into a baseband bitstream or protocol-layer payload before the signal is shifted from one frequency band to another. Thus, one or more analog or mixed-signal operations, such as amplification, filtering, gain control, frequency translation, timing alignment, calibration, monitoring, or signal-quality estimation, may be performed while still transparently conveying the user traffic.

[0011] In many scenarios, these frequency-shifting nodes are deployed to bridge distinct coverage areas or extend coverage indoors without polluting or otherwise adding congestion to the original frequency band. When arranged as a wireless communication system, two frequency-shifting nodes can move user traffic out of congested bands and into a transport-layer frequency band (e.g., an intermediate frequency band), then convert it back. For instance, a high-frequency band, such as a millimeter-wave frequency band, can be downconverted to an intermediate frequency (IF) for over-the-air transmission. This approach can minimize infrastructure costs by avoiding fiber or dedicated cabling, without adding congestion to the primary communication frequencies.2PIV1020

[0012] In various embodiments, the system may include parallel frequency conversion paths for multiple concurrent signals, beamforming antennas (e.g., hybrid or phased-array antennas) to optimize coverage, and / or loT modules for remote configuration and performance monitoring. In some embodiments, control circuitry may also incorporate GPS synchronization for TDD alignment and switch between time-division or frequencydivision operations based on traffic load or interference conditions. Furthermore, the nodes can be integrated with massive MIMO systems, such as a MIMO digital beamforming system, enabling the creation of orthogonal channels defined by the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal, thereby creating a channel matrix orthogonal to signals conveyed on the unshifted ports. As described herein, various systems and methods are contemplated to facilitate a transparent conveyance of telecommunication traffic across different frequency bands, eliminating the need for full demodulation. Thus, in various embodiments, nodes can be coupled to MIMO systems, including digital beamforming systems having multiple radio-frequency chains or ports. A frequency-shifted signal conveyed on a selected chain or port may define a transport RF channel that is orthogonal in frequency to signals conveyed on one or more unshifted chains or ports, thereby permitting the shifted link to coexist with unshifted traffic while preserving transparent conveyance of user traffic.

[0013] Various hardware components, their functions, and configurations are described herein as part of or in the context of a frequency-shifting node. In some embodiments, a frequency-shifting node may be part of a wireless network repeater, connected to a wireless network repeater, or integrated within a wireless network repeater. In various embodiments, a frequency-shifting node may be part of or in communication with one or more telecommunication devices, such as a gNodeB or “gNB” of a 5G network.

[0014] Various embodiments of the systems and methods described herein shift the signal frequency without fully demodulating or protocol-decoding user traffic. In some embodiments, the frequency-shifting operation is performed in an analog signal path using one or more mixers and local oscillators. In other embodiments, one or more mixed-signal functions, such as digitization for calibration, adaptive filtering, impairment correction, monitoring, or control, may be used, provided that the user payload is not fully3PIV1020recovered and reconstituted prior to retransmission in the shifted band. For example, the system may utilize adaptive filtering, remote calibration, predistortion, or other signalconditioning techniques to enhance signal quality and / or minimize interference.

[0015] Some of the infrastructure that can be utilized with embodiments disclosed herein is already available, including general-purpose computers, computer programming tools and techniques, digital storage media, and communication links. Many of the systems, subsystems, modules, components, and other elements described herein may be implemented as hardware, firmware, or software. Various systems, subsystems, modules, and components are described in terms of the function(s) they perform, as a wide variety of possible implementations exist. For example, it is appreciated that many existing programming languages, hardware devices, frequency bands, circuits, software platforms, networking infrastructures, and / or data stores may be utilized alone or in combination to implement a specific control function.

[0016] It is also appreciated that two or more of the elements, devices, systems, subsystems, components, modules, etc., that are described herein may be combined as a single element, device, system, subsystem, module, or component. Moreover, many of the elements, devices, systems, subsystems, components, and modules may be duplicated or further divided into discrete elements, devices, systems, subsystems, components, or modules to perform the subtasks described herein. Any of the embodiments described herein may be combined with any combination of other embodiments described herein. The various permutations and combinations of embodiments are contemplated to the extent that they do not contradict one another.

[0017] As used herein, a computing device, system, subsystem, module, or controller may include a processor, such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or logic circuitry. A processor may include one or more special-purpose processing devices, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable array logic (PAL), a programmable logic array (PLA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and / or another customizable and / or programmable device. The computing device may also include a machine-readable storage device, such as non-volatile memory, static RAM, dynamic RAM, ROM, CD-ROM, disk, tape, magnetic media, optical media, flash memory, and / or another machine-readable storage medium.4PIV1020Various aspects of certain embodiments may be implemented or enhanced using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0018] The components of some of the disclosed embodiments are described and illustrated in the figures herein. Many portions thereof could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Furthermore, the features, structures, and operations associated with one embodiment may be applied to or combined with the features, structures, or operations described in conjunction with another embodiment. In many instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of this disclosure. The right to add any described embodiment or feature to any one of the figures and / or as a new figure is explicitly reserved.

[0019] The embodiments of the systems and methods provided within this disclosure are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure but are merely representative of possible embodiments. Additionally, the steps of a method need not be executed in a specific order, or even sequentially, and they may be executed multiple times. As previously noted, descriptions and variations regarding transmitters are equally applicable to receivers, and vice versa.

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication link 100 in which a telecommunication signal is conveyed between two separate coverage areas using different frequency bands, according to one embodiment. An incoming telecommunication signal is provided in a first frequency band 180 by a radio not shown in FIG. 1. The telecommunication signal is received by a first frequency-shifting node 120 through a first communication interface 121. According to the illustrated embodiment, the first frequency-shifting node 120 includes an up / down converter (UDC 1) and frequency conversion circuitry that shifts the telecommunication signal from the first frequency band 180 to the second frequency band 185 in the analog domain without fully demodulating or decoding the telecommunication signal. A second communication interface 122 is used to wirelessly transmit the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal to a second frequency-shifting node 130. Both the first communication interface 121 and the second communication interface 122 are coupled to the first frequency-shifting node 120.5PIV1020

[0021] To complete the transport link, the second frequency-shifting node 130, which also includes an up / down converter (UDC 2), receives the telecommunication signal in the second frequency band 185 via a third communication interface 131. The second frequency-shifting node 130 includes frequency-conversion circuitry that shifts the telecommunication signal from the second frequency band 185 back to the first frequency band 180 in the analog domain without fully demodulating or decoding the telecommunication signal. A fourth communication interface 132 is used to output the telecommunication signal in the first frequency band 180 to another radio not shown in FIG. 1 , where the telecommunication signal may be processed and / or transmitted to user equipment in a separate coverage area.

[0022] According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-illustrated communication interfaces used by the frequency-shifting nodes may include various types of radiating or receiving elements, such as antennas, antenna arrays, patch antennas, horn antennas, phased-array antennas, or hybrid beamforming (HBF) antennas. In some embodiments, different communication interfaces of the same frequency-shifting node may be implemented using separate antennas. In other embodiments, two or more communication interfaces at the same frequency-shifting node may share a common antenna or antenna array. Communication interfaces may also be implemented as a remote antenna or as a connection to a radio-frequency chain of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital beamforming system with multiple ports.

[0023] Notably, each frequency-shifting node may further include control circuitry to control the frequency-shifting circuitry such that the node successfully relays the telecommunication signal and transparently conveys user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal between corresponding communication interfaces. Each frequency-shifting node may be configured to selectively adapt between different duplex modes (e.g., time-division or frequency-division), manage local oscillators, and / or adjust gain or beamforming parameters. By avoiding full demodulation, the conversion steps preserve the underlying protocol, reduce complexity, and enable flexible deployments in diverse frequency bands.

[0024] In some embodiments, the control circuitry may automatically select the second frequency band from a range of frequency bands based on an interference condition6PIV1020and / or traffic load. In other embodiments, control circuitry may also select the second frequency band based on user-defined input parameters, given either remotely or locally.

[0025] The first frequency-shifting node 120 and the second frequency-shifting node 130 use the second frequency band 185 as a transport layer which reduces and / or prevents pollution of the first frequency band 180 in areas where transport occurs. In some embodiments, the first frequency band comprises C-band frequencies, and the second frequency band comprises a different frequency range used as the transport layer. Utilization of the second frequency band obviates the need to install fiber optics, digital cables, or other physical media as the transport occurs over the air without any pollution or added congestion in the first frequency band 180.

[0026] As used herein, a "transport layer" or "transport frequency band" refers to a frequency band used to carry the telecommunication signal between nodes, radios, ports, or remote antennas, whether over-the-air or over an analog wired path. The transport frequency band may be lower than, higher than, or overlapping with a service band and may comprise an intermediate frequency band, a microwave band, a millimeter-wave band, a sub-6 GHz band, or another band selected for propagation, regulatory, or deployment considerations.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates another configuration of a wireless communication link 200 using frequency-shifting nodes, according to one embodiment. A first radio 215 is coupled to a first frequency-shifting node 210, and a second radio 225 is coupled to a second frequency-shifting node 220. A first antenna 211 is coupled to the first frequency-shifting node 210 and is used to communicate in a frequency band 280 (e.g., transport frequency band). Similarly, a second antenna 221 is coupled to the second frequency-shifting node 220 and is used to communicate in the frequency band 280. The first antenna 211 and the second antenna 221 establish a wireless link in the frequency band 280. Accordingly, the first radio 215, the second radio 225, the first antenna 211, and the second antenna 221 function as communication interfaces of their respective nodes. In various embodiments, the antennas described may include any arrangement of horn antennas, phased-array antennas, or other suitable radiating elements.

[0028] In some embodiments, rather than using an external antenna, one or both of the first frequency-shifting node 210 and the second frequency-shifting node 220 may be7PIV1020hardwired to an analog output of a corresponding radio. For example, the first antenna 211 can be removed, and the UDC 1 can be cabled directly to the analog port of the first radio 215, enabling entirely analog frequency shifting and conveyance without full demodulation. This is distinct from other approaches that rely on digital interfaces. Furthermore, the UDCs may incorporate beamforming capabilities, such as hybrid beamforming (HBF) or fully digital phased-array antennas at the frequency band 280 transport layer to optimize signal coverage and / or reduce interference.

[0029] In various embodiments, one or both of the first frequency-shifting node 210 and the second frequency-shifting node 220 utilize MIMO port connections to create an orthogonal channel via frequency shifting, thereby leaving other MIMO ports available for unshifted signals. In some embodiments, one or both of the first frequency-shifting node 210 and the second frequency-shifting node 220 utilize GPS receivers to synchronize time-division duplex (TDD) operation across multiple frequency-shifting nodes. In some embodiments, one or both of the first frequency-shifting node 210 and the second frequency-shifting node 220 use Internet-of-Things (loT) modules to provide remote configuration and / or monitoring information for the associated frequency-shifting node. Integrated loT modules may also communicate with cloud-based management platforms to provide similar supervision and oversight.

[0030] In some embodiments, one or both of the first frequency-shifting node 210 and the second frequency-shifting node 220 may utilize distributed antenna system (DAS) deployments in which multiple frequency-shifting nodes extend coverage in large venues without requiring a base station in every location. By transporting the telecommunication signal over the frequency band 280, the system maintains transparent conveyance of user traffic, avoids overloading the original frequency band, and eliminates the need to install fiber or other physical backhaul media.

[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a frequency-shifting node embodied within a donor unit 300, according to various embodiments. The upper path illustrates a receiver path of the donor unit 300, while the lower path illustrates a transmitter path of the donor unit 300. In some embodiments, certain components illustrated in both the receiver path and the transmitter path may be consolidated or shared for both transmit and receive operations. Antennas, radios, and other elements may function as communication8PIV1020interfaces. For example, the donor unit 300 may use a first HBF antenna 302 for reception and a second HBF antenna 332 for transmission or may use a combined HBF antenna or antenna array for both reception and transmission.

[0032] In the illustrated example, an input stage at the upper left receives a millimeterwave (mmW) telecommunication signal at an HBF antenna 302. The signal is passed to a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 304 before entering an mmW-to-IF downconverter 306. The mmW-to-IF downconverter 306 shifts the incoming signal from a millimeter-wave frequency band to an intermediate-frequency (IF) range, such as 400 MHz or 800 MHz, without fully demodulating or decoding the underlying telecommunication protocol.

[0033] A switch 308 directs the IF signal through one or both of a first band-pass filter 310 and a second band-pass filter 314, which may correspond to IF 400 MHz and IF 800 MHz, respectively. A second switch 312 receives the filtered IF signal and routes the filtered IF signal through a variable-gain amplifier (VGA) 316 to a splitter 318. The splitter 318 can route the downconverted signal to a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) system-on-module (SOM) 322 for monitoring. Performance metrics that may be measured by the KPI include, but are not limited to, received signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, error vector magnitude, bit error rate, etc. The splitter 318 can also route the downconverted signal to an external interface 320, such as a multi-pin or multiport connector, through which any of a wide variety of devices may obtain the downconverted signal. Control circuitry, such as a microcontroller 350, may oversee and synchronize time-division duplexing and / or frequency-division duplexing, regulate local oscillators, and perform real-time adjustments based on GPS timing, traffic conditions, and measured performance metrics.

[0034] The lower path illustrates the transmitter path of the donor unit 300. As illustrated, an HBF antenna 332 is used for an outgoing link. A coupler 330 and a power detector 334 track output signal levels, while a high-power amplifier (HPA) 328 boosts the signal for transmission. When utilized, an IF-to-mmW upconverter 326 converts a signal from the IF range to the millimeter-wave band. A variable-gain amplifier (VGA) 324 may also be provided in the lower path between the external interface 320 and the IF-to-mmW upconverter 326. An LTE module 336, a GPS receiver 340, and the microcontroller 350 may integrate with the control circuitry to enable remote management, including loT9PIV1020connectivity, timing synchronization, and / or system diagnostics. A power module 360 provides operating voltages, while a power connector supplies external power to the donor unit 300. In addition to the illustrated components, various other components, such as antenna arrays, up / down converters, amplifiers, filters, and control modules, may be utilized to implement the functionality of a frequency-shifting node or the donor unit 300 as described herein. As illustrated, the donor unit 300 may be used to shift telecommunication signals between different frequency bands while maintaining transparent conveyance of user traffic.

[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates a donor unit 401 in a loopback configuration with a bypassed upconverter, according to one embodiment. As illustrated, a frequency-shifted telecommunication signal is routed from a top output of an external interface 420 back into the external interface 420. An IF-to-mmW upconverter 426 is marked with an “X” to indicate that the IF-to-mmW upconverter 426 may be disabled, omitted, or bypassed. In the illustrated configuration, the donor unit 401 omits or disables the conversion stage from a transmitter path, thereby allowing an IF-band signal to be transmitted directly. This facilitates an analog-only link without fully demodulating or decoding the data (loopback configuration) as described in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Thus, as described herein, the IF-to-mmW upconverter 426 can be disabled, bypassed, or removed entirely, allowing the node to pass signals in the IF band only.

[0036] The illustrated configuration allows two devices to communicate in an intermediate frequency band while avoiding full demodulation of the signals. In some embodiments, the two devices may communicate in the intermediate frequency band while also preserving the telecommunication format. For example, depending on duplex requirements, the donor unit 401 may employ time-division duplex (TDD) timing signals (e.g., using GPS) and / or frequency-division duplex (FDD) filters. In some embodiments, an loT-enabled microcontroller enables the donor unit 401 to be remotely monitored and / or to receive configuration instructions.

[0037] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart 500 of an example method for shifting a telecommunication signal from a first frequency band to a second frequency band without fully demodulating or decoding the underlying telecommunication signal. At 510, an incoming telecommunication signal provided in a first frequency band is received via a10PIV1020first communication interface. At 520, the incoming telecommunication signal is frequency-shifted from the first frequency band to a second frequency band in an analog domain without fully demodulating or decoding the telecommunication signal, thereby preserving transparent conveyance of user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal.

[0038] At 530, the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal is output via a second communication interface at the second frequency band. At 540, the operation of the frequency conversion circuitry is controlled so that the user traffic carried by the incoming telecommunication signal is transparently conveyed between the first and second communication interfaces. In various embodiments, the frequency conversion circuitry may include one or more upconversion devices, downconversion devices, mixers, local oscillators, filters, amplifiers, and / or other analog signal-path components. By shifting the telecommunication signal in the analog domain without full demodulation or decoding, the method may reduce complexity and latency while supporting a variety of telecommunication services, protocols, and duplexing modes.

[0039] This disclosure has been made with reference to various exemplary embodiments, including the best mode. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. While the principles of this disclosure have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions, elements, materials, and components may be adapted for a specific environment and / or operating requirements without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0040] This disclosure is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope thereof. Likewise, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential11PIV1020feature or element. This disclosure should, therefore, be determined to encompass at least the following claims.12PIV1020

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A frequency-shifting node for relaying a telecommunication signal, the node comprising:a first communication interface configured to receive the telecommunication signal in a first frequency band;frequency conversion circuitry coupled to the first communication interface and configured to shift the telecommunication signal from the first frequency band to a second frequency band in an analog domain without recovering user payload data via full demodulation or protocol decoding of the telecommunication signal;a second communication interface coupled to the frequency conversion circuitry and configured to output a frequency-shifted version of the telecommunication signal in the second frequency band; andcontrol circuitry configured to control operation of the frequency conversion circuitry such that user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal is transparently conveyed between the first communication interface and the second communication interface.

2. The node of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface comprises a first antenna and the second communication interface comprises a second antenna.

3. The node of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface and the second communication interface share a common antenna or antenna array.

4. The node of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first communication interface or the second communication interface comprises an analog connection coupled to an analog output of a radio for direct analog conveyance of the telecommunication signal.

5. The node of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the frequency conversion circuitry further comprises a local oscillator source and at least one frequency mixer to13PIV1020shift the telecommunication signal between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

6. The node of any one of claims 1 -5, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the node in a time-division duplex (TDD) mode.

7. The node of any one of claims 1 -6, wherein the control circuitry is configured to operate the node in a frequency-division duplex (FDD) mode.

8. The node of any one of claims 1 -7, wherein the control circuitry is configured to selectively operate the node in a time-division duplex (TDD) mode or a frequency-division duplex (FDD) mode.

9. The node of claim 8, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to switch between the time-division duplex (TDD) mode and the frequency-division duplex (FDD) mode based on an interference condition.

10. The node of claim 8 or 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to switch between the time-division duplex (TDD) mode and the frequency-division duplex (FDD) mode based on a measured traffic load.

11. The node of any one of claims 1 -10, further comprising a GPS receiver in communication with the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is configured to synchronize time-division duplex operation using timing information received from the GPS receiver.

12. The node of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising an Internet-of-Things (loT) module configured to communicate with a remote management system to receive configuration instructions and to provide monitoring information.14PIV102013. The node of any one of claims 1 -12, wherein at least one of the first communication interface or the second communication interface comprises a hybrid beamforming (HBF) antenna or a phased-array antenna configured to beamform the telecommunication signal.

14. The node of any one of claims 1 -13, wherein the first frequency band comprises C-band frequencies, and wherein the second frequency band comprises a different frequency range used as a transport layer.

15. The node of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to automatically select the second frequency band from a plurality of second frequency bands based on an interference condition.

16. The node of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to automatically select the second frequency band from a plurality of second frequency bands based on a measured traffic load.

17. The node of any one of claims 1 -16, wherein the frequency conversion circuitry comprises an upconverter disposed in a transmitter path, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to selectively bypass the upconverter such that an intermediate-frequency signal is output via the second communication interface without upconversion to a higher-frequency band.

18. The node of any one of claims 1 -17, wherein the frequency conversion circuitry is configured for selective upconversion and downconversion between the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

19. The node of claim 1, wherein the first communication interface is configured to interface with a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radio system, and the second communication interface is configured to output the telecommunication signal in the second frequency band to at least one remote antenna.15PIV102020. The node of any one of claims 1 and 4-19, wherein the first communication interface is configured to connect to at least one selected radiofrequency chain of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital beamforming system having a plurality of ports operating in a first coverage area, and wherein the frequency conversion circuitry is configured to shift the telecommunication signal from the selected radio-frequency chain to the second frequency band for transmission in a second coverage area.

21. The node of claim 20, wherein the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal defines a channel matrix orthogonal to signals conveyed on unshifted ports of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital beamforming system.

22. The node of any one of claims 1 -21 , wherein the second communication interface is configured to output the telecommunication signal in the second frequency band to another frequency-shifting node.

23. The node of any one of claims 1 -22, wherein a plurality of such nodes is deployed throughout an area as a distributed antenna system (DAS), each node being configured to shift telecommunication signals from the first frequency band to the second frequency band.

24. The node of any one of claims 1 -23, wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure at least one performance metric such as received signal strength, signal-to-noise ratio, error vector magnitude, and bit-error-rate, and to adjust operation of the frequency conversion circuitry based on the measured performance metric.

25. The node of any one of claims 1 -24, further comprising a plurality of parallel frequency conversion paths configured to concurrently shift multiple telecommunication signals from the first frequency band to the second frequency band.16PIV102026. The node of any one of claims 1 -25, wherein the analog domain comprises a mixed- signal path, such that the frequency conversion circuitry is configured to shift the telecommunication signal from the first frequency band to the second frequency band in the analog domain via a mixed-signal path, without recovering user payload data via full demodulation or protocol decoding of the telecommunication signal.

27. A method for relaying a telecommunication signal, comprising: receiving, via a first communication interface, the telecommunication signal in a first frequency band;frequency-shifting the telecommunication signal from the first frequency band to a second frequency band in an analog domain without recovering user payload data via full demodulation or protocol decoding of the telecommunication signal;outputting, via a second communication interface, a frequency-shifted version of the telecommunication signal in the second frequency band; andcontrolling operation of frequency conversion circuitry such that user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal is transparently conveyed between the first communication interface and the second communication interface.

28. A wireless communication system, comprising:a first radio configured to operate in a first frequency band;a first frequency-shifting node coupled to the first radio, the first frequencyshifting node comprising:a first radio-side communication interface configured to receive a telecommunication signal in the first frequency band from the first radio;first frequency conversion circuitry configured to shift the telecommunication signal from the first frequency band to a transport frequency band in an analog or mixed-signal path without recovering user payload data through full demodulation or protocol decoding of the telecommunication signal;17PIV1020a first transport communication interface coupled to the first frequency conversion circuitry and configured to output a frequency-shifted telecommunication signal in the transport frequency band; andfirst control circuitry configured to control operation of the first frequency conversion circuitry such that user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal is transparently conveyed between the first radio-side communication interface and the first transport communication interface;a second frequency-shifting node comprising:a second transport communication interface configured to receive the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal in the transport frequency band;second frequency conversion circuitry configured to shift the frequency-shifted telecommunication signal from the transport frequency band to the first frequency band in an analog or mixed-signal path without recovering user payload data through full demodulation or protocol decoding of the telecommunication signal;a second radio-side communication interface coupled to the second frequency conversion circuitry and configured to output the telecommunication signal in the first frequency band; andsecond control circuitry configured to control operation of the second frequency conversion circuitry such that user traffic carried by the telecommunication signal is transparently conveyed between the second transport communication interface and the second radio-side communication interface;a second radio coupled to the second frequency-shifting node and configured to operate in the first frequency band; andwherein the first transport communication interface and the second transport communication interface establish a transport link in the transport frequency band.18PIV1020

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