Performance analysis of parallel FSO/MMW systems with adaptive rate under weather effects

This paper presents a concept of parallel Free-Space Optics/Millimeter-Wave (FSO/MMW) systems, in which adaptive rate is employed in both FSO and MMW links. We newly propose an analytical framework based on Markov chain model for system performance analysis. System performance metrics, including throughput and reliability rate, are analytically studied under the presence of various weather conditions. Numerical results quantitatively show how the adaptive-rate FSO/MMW significantly outperform conventional ones, and how weather conditions affect on the systems performance.