Optical Wireless Communications: Research Challenges for MAC Layer

Optical wireless communication (OWC) has emerged as a potential addition to current wireless technologies because of its high capacity, security, and unlicensed spectrum. In addition, owing to recent advancements in optoelectronic components and the industry’s globalization, OWC has become a promising solution for addressing upcoming bandwidth requirements and the “border mile bottleneck”. In 2018, the IEEEE 802.15.7 (updated) standard was released, which proposes physical (PHY) and medium access layer (MAC) layers for OWC-based systems employing visible light (380nm and 780nm) for downstream and infrared spectrum for upstream. Significant research has already been undertaken on the PHY layer; however, the MAC layer must be tailored for application-specific demands. This paper presents a historical overview, summarizes recent works, and offers a broader perspective on OWC-based MAC layer issues, suggesting prospective future research areas. Furthermore, the document aims to provide an overview of the primary technologies necessary to comprehend OWC technology. The document investigates various MAC layer challenges in OWC, including hidden nodes, appropriate guaranteed time slot (GTS) resource allocation, network mobility, and fast link recovery. A comprehensive literature review is performed to identify these MAC layer challenges hindering the widespread implementation of green wireless communication technology. In contrast to previous assessments, this article provides a concise summary of relevant publications on the development of an application-specific OWC-MAC layer.