The exponential traffic growth and demand for high-speed wireless data communications have put considerable pressure on the mobile network operators (MNOs) to enhance the cellular access network capacity. In order to address the demand, MNOs as well as equipment vendors have given significant attention to cloud radio access network (C-RAN) due
to its beneficial features in terms of performance optimization
and cost-effectiveness. Protocol such as common public radio
interface (CPRI) or open base-station initiatives (OBSAI) are
the fundamental means of distributing wireless signal over the CRAN fronthaul. However, they are bandwidth inefficiency. In this paper, we analyze an efficient implementation which is based on radio-on-free-space optical (RoFSO) technology. In the analysis, we characterize the atmospheric effects on RF signal transmission over the FSO links. Consequently, we present results that can be beneficial in the evaluation, optimization, and prediction of RoFSO system performance for real-life scenario deployments.