SHARED CELL SUPPORT FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Approaches in accordance with various embodiments enable communication functionality to be added to an existing hardware component, such as a network interface controller (NIC), data processing unit (DPA), or network switch, rather than requiring an additional component such as a Front Haul Multiplexor (FHM)-type for cellular communications. Such an approach not only avoids the cost and complexity of managing additional hardware components, but can also reduce bandwidth needed for signal transmission. For downlink communications, data can be copied to the relevant radio units of a cell in a single cell deployment architecture to be transmitted to a target client device, such as a cellular handset. For uplink communications, data received from a client device to multiple radio units can undergo decompression and channel estimation before combining the data into a single signal or data stream.