Integrating optical and wireless services in the access network

Optical fiber technology is a fundamental solution for broadband access and metropolitan networking, and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) is the promising wireless counterpart. Combining the benefits of optical fiber capacity and wireless mobility, we propose several optical wireless integration scenarios in the access network. The integrated network performance has been evaluated through simulations in the OPNET modeler. The results demonstrate that optical wireless integration increases the capacity of wireless networks, promotes mobility in access networks, and decreases access point complexity through centralized management at the edge node.