INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS Int. J. Commun. Syst. (2011) Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/dac.1361 Co-simulation-based modeling and performance analysis of hybrid fiber–wireless links H. Chettat 1, * ,† , L. M. Simohamed 1 , C. Algani 2 , J.-L. Polleux 3 , A.-L. Billabert 2 and A. Yalaoui 2 1 Optronic and Electronic Systems Laboratory, Ecole Militaire Polytechnique (EMP), BP 17-C, 16111 Bordj El-Bahri, Algiers, Algeria 2 ESYCOM,CNAM, 292 Rue St-Martin, 75141 Paris Cedex 03, France 3 Université Paris Est-ESYCOM-ESIEE Paris, 93162 Noisy-le-Grand, France SUMMARY We present a new approach for the performance analysis of hybrid fiber/wireless communication systems. This approach is based on a co-simulation using two types of dedicated software: the first is used for RF/wireless systems whereas the second is devoted to optical communication systems. The proposed method enables simultaneous simulation of all elements of the radio-over-fiber link with accurate modeling. A low- cost wireless local area network over a fiber distribution system is implemented in order to validate the results experimentally. Simulation results are in good agreement with experimental measurements in terms of EVM evolution for different link element configurations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 9 March 2011; Revised 14 July 2011; Accepted 8 September 2011 KEY WORDS: RoF; co-simulation; EVM; performance 1. INTRODUCTION During the last two decades, requirements for broadband services through fixed and mobile wire- less access networks have been growing continuously. Hence, developing hybrid infrastructures to transport wireless communication RF signals over optical fibers has become necessary [1]. Such a solution is known as Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) technology. It aims to exploit within RoF net- works advantages of both optical fiber (high data rates, low attenuation) and wireless technology (mobility) [2]. In order to fulfill the requirements for bandwidth and high data-rate mobile services, many researchers have focused on the design of RoF communication systems and their performance improvement [3–5]. As these systems consist of hybrid combinations of wired, wireless, and pho- tonic links, the inherent complexity of their development may be advantageously reduced by using computer-aided simulation and modeling techniques. There are several simulation tools that can be used for performance analysis of RoF systems. In [6], three systems based on hybrid fiber coax (HFC), RoF, and 10-Gb/s Ethernet technologies are investigated using VPItransmissionMaker, from VPIsystems (Holmdel, NJ) [7], to illustrate the value of numerical modeling for the design and optimization of fixed and mobile access systems. According to [8, 9], the Advanced Design System (ADS) Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software [10], from Agilent (Santa Clara, CA), which provides an integrated design environment to designers of RF electronic products, can also be used for optoelectronic device modeling, at the *Correspondence to: Hichem Chettat, EMP, BP 17-C, Bordj El-Bahri, Algiers, 16111, Algeria. † E-mail: hichemchettat@yahoo.fr Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.