Optical Wireless Communication – An Emerging Green Technology [Keynote Speaker 1]

The emerging optical wireless communications (OWC) has become popular in the last two decades from short to long distances as in indoor visible light communications (VLC) and free space optics (FSO). We are seeing the use of OWC in mobile communications (in particular 5G) as an additional communication technology like WiFi and bluetooth to resolve the spectrum congestion and provide much needed higher data rates especially in urban areas with high population density, big public places etc. Other applications of OWC include underwater communications, car to car communications, hospitals, planes, trains, etc. Some intrinsic advantages of OWC when compared to radio frequency RF technologies are: a) significantly higher data rates, b) inherent security, c) licence-free operation, d) no interference to medical and measurement instrumentation, e) no environmental issue of radiation hazards , and f) dual functionality of illumination and data communications as in VLC. However, there are a number of challenges facing OWC that needs addressing before its widespread deployment. This talk will give an overview of OWCs focusing on some of the key research challenges and contributions.