The paper examines, from a carrier's perspective, the viability of free-space optical (FSO) technology as a cost-effective access alternative to fixed point-to-point applications. These include extension of metropolitan area edge networks, network backhaul, temporary deployment while awaiting fiber, disaster recovery, and low cost fiber protection circuits. The paper provides a detailed prognosis of the FSO and its complementing 60GHz RF technology, besides analyses of the total cost of ownership. This leads to some suggestions on how to improve the technical and economical viability of the technology for carriers' applications.

Date Published: 22 August 2002
PDF: 15 pages
Proc. SPIE 4911, Wireless and Mobile Communications II, (22 August 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.480489

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4911:
Wireless and Mobile Communications II
Hequan Wu; Chih-Lin I; Jari Vaario, Editor(s)