Limited transmission range and interference with existing terrestrial services are also non-negligible technical issues of RF and microwave technology. However, these bands have been becoming congested in many countries. The existing RF and microwave fronthaul/backhaul links rely on frequency bands between 6-60 GHz. However, it is not possible to deploy optical fibers for airborne communications. Optical fiber is the best option in terms of data rate and transmission distance among current communication technologies. Also, long-distance transmission (e.g., 10 to a few hundred kilometers) is needed to set up the aerial network and improve the network coverage for remote areas. To fulfill the expectations, high-speed (e.g., tens of Gbps) communication systems should be realized to transmit massive data traffic between airborne fronthaul/backhaul links.
The 5G network is expected to support 1000-fold increase in data traffic capacity and 10-fold increase in throughput in comparison to 4G systems. In case of emergency or disaster, for example, airborne platforms can undoubtedly provide rapid operational availability for fast bridging and filling network gaps on an ad hoc basis.
Also, ultra-high network availability is one of the key motivating trends behind the 5G evolution. Airborne platforms, serving as network nodes, can offer substantial benefits in this regard. In remote areas, however, the installation of terrestrial infrastructure with a large number of small-cell base stations would be highly costly and time-consuming. Ultra-dense heterogeneous small cells are perceived as a key enabler for modern wireless communication networks. There are two main reasons for this trend. The utilization of airborne platforms as a new infrastructure for 5G-and-beyond wireless communication networks has been the subject of considerable interest internationally in recent years. We introduce an adaptive beam control technique to facilitate the PAT and improve the link availability.Īirborne platforms are auto-controlled or remotely-operated aerial vehicles operating in high altitudes, such as aerostats, balloons, and drones. However, accurate pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) of narrow-divergence optical beams between the transmitter and receiver has long been a major technical challenge of FSOC systems.
IEEE Future Networks Tech Focus, Issue 12, April 2021įree-space optical communication (FSOC) provides high-capacity wireless connections, without exhausting scarce RF resources, between airborne platforms constituting aerial fronthaul/backhaul network for 5G and beyond. Mai and Hoon Kim, School of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Korea Airborne Free-Space Optical Communications for Fronthaul/Backhaul Networks of 5G and Beyond
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