Fair resource allocation schemes for cooperative dynamic free-space optical networks

Free-space optics (FSO) presents a promising solution for the last-mile connectivity problem. However, adverse weather conditions like fog, rain, and snow, can significantly degrade the performance of FSO links. Thus, the implementation of reliable FSO networks becomes a significant issue. At the same implementation cost, dynamic (reconfigurable) FSO networks are more robust against severe weather conditions over static ones. In this paper, two resource allocation schemes are proposed for dynamic cooperative FSO networks. Each scheme is formulated as amulti-objective optimization problem, where capacity, reliability- fairness, average transmitted power, and bit-error rate functions are targeted. One scheme prioritizes the reliability-fairness over capacity, while the other does the opposite. The simulation results reveal that the proposed schemes are more reliable and cost efficient than traditional relayed networks, especially under severe weather conditions.