Atmospheric Effects on Free Space Optics Wireless Communication: Applications and Challenges

Demand for data and multi-media services in recent times has really grown and it is expected to grow more in the next decade with application ranges from high speed real-time/live streaming to live video-conferencing, and so the demand for new and richer data services to meet up with the new and more advanced applications. In other to meet up with these great users' expectations, there is a need to explore other viable access network technologies that can offer services beyond what is already in the offering. Free space optical (FSO) communication system is the predominant choice to replace existing wireless technology with great availability of link capacity and huge bandwidth to meet the user's expectation of the 21
^st
century. This system is reliant on optics signal transmitted in a free space channel, hence termed FSO. This type of communication does not require any licenses for its operation and offers many features being the low-start up and operational cost, rapid development and high fiber-like bandwidth. FSO uses line-of-sight path for the communication between two points and beam of light to provide optical connection that can send and receive video, voice and data information. This technology provides a massive and unregulated bandwidth where a data rate in excess of 100Gbit/s is achievable over a distance of 1-4km. However, it suffers from degradation in the signal quality due to its susceptibility to atmospheric channel impairments which limits its wide deployment and quality of services. This paper explores the FSO system, atmospheric effects of implementing this system and mitigating techniques.