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Unraveling "Fiber in the Sky": Terabit Capacity Enabled by Coherent Optical Wireless

Fernandes, M. ; Fernandes, G. ; Brandão, B. ; Freitas, M. ; Kaai, N. K. ; Wielen, B. D. W. ; Reid, J. R. ; Raiteri, D. R. ; Monteiro, P. ; Guiomar, F. P.

IEEE Communications Magazine Vol. 62, Nº 3, pp. 40 - 46, March, 2024.

ISSN (print): 0163-6804
ISSN (online): 1558-1896

Scimago Journal Ranking: 5,63 (in 2023)

Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/MCOM.003.2300183

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Abstract
The quest for high-speed optical wireless communications is now entering a new and ambitious phase of pursuing fiber-like capacity over the air. However, legacy optical wireless technologies relying on simple intensity modulation and direct detection will not be up to the challenge of providing Terabit data-rates for wireless communications. Benefitting from the latest developments on coherent optical fiber transceivers, unprecedented optical wireless capacity can now be achieved, effectively enabling the wireless delivery of Terabit-range data-rates. In this work, we exploit advanced features provided by state-of-the-art coherent transceivers, such as symbol-rate and bit-rate adaptability, to enhance the trade-off between capacity and reliability in optical wireless systems impaired by atmospheric turbulence, pointing errors, and Doppler shift. Targeting the digital mitigation of these challenges, a set of different field trials is provided, demonstrating the viability of per-channel bit-rates in the range of 400 Gb/s to 1 Tb/s, applicable to both terrestrial and SatCom scenarios.