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ABSTRACT
This paper deals with the Wireless
Optical Communication (WOC). In
this paper we mainly discuss the
problems with the conventional
methods of communication such as
Permissions, License fees, Lack of
International standardization, Wastage
of power and Security and how this
new technology of WOC can be used
to overcome these problems, along
with its own set of advantages. We
also discuss about the competitions it
is facing and how it stands apart, and
finally how low cost user friendly
devices built using this technology can Fig: In WOC the channel used is Air
be used in the Rural Indian Scenario.
In the telecommunications space,
1. INTRODUCTION WOC systems are in use in niche
As the term wireless optical applications, mostly for high-
communications (WOC) suggests, this bandwidth applications needing to
is a group of technologies that use light transfer hundreds of megabits per
to communicate through the air, and second, over distances typically less
require clear line of sight between than a kilometer. Recent developments
units. Modern systems typically use promise to bring WOC into the realm
lasers or light-emitting diodes to of inexpensive consumer products.
produce the light at one end, while
photo diodes at the receiver sense the 2. CURRENT SCHEMES OF WIRELESS
incoming light, and send an COMMUNICATIONS
appropriate signal to a connected In the last decades, the use of wireless
computer. has grown at a furious pace. The
advantages of wireless are rapid
deployment, without the need to dig
trenches for cables, and seek
permissions for right of way. A big
advantage of wireless is in allowing
people to communicate while they are
mobile. The systems in common use
are:
2.1 Satellite
While satellites in low-earth orbit are
sometimes used for communication,
the most common are geostationary
satellites, which are stationed
approximately 34000 km away. These
2.3 Mobile Phone
are particularly useful to bring
With the advent of mobile phones,
communications to remote areas, and
wireless communications reached the
are also well suited to situations where
man in the street. Here too, there are
the same content has to be delivered to
several systems in use, both analog and
a large number of people, as in the case
digital, in a variety of frequencies and
of radio (Worldspace) and TV.
incompatible standards. GSM and
Satellites, of course, are expensive to
CDMA have emerged as the dominant
make and to maintain.
systems in this space. Such systems
can also be used for sending data at
fairly slow speeds -- 9.6 kilobits per
second is typical. They also need an
expensive central switch - mobile
phones cannot talk directly to each
other.
3. PROBLEMS WITH CONVENTIONAL WIRELESS
COMMUNICATIONS
3.1 Permissions
2.2 Radio The radio spectrum is highly regulated
Over the years, a plethora of systems all over the world. The first reason for
for radio communication have been this is interference. Unless care is
developed. These use a variety of taken to carefully design systems that
frequencies, as well as protocols for either use completely disparate
modulating the carrier frequency with frequencies, or the antennae are
data, and cover ranges from a few to carefully directed so that the beams
thousands of kilometers. Perhaps the don't interfere, radio communication
best recognized examples of such breaks down. The second reason for
communication are the microwave strict regulation is security. The World
towers scattered around the War II image of the spy with a radio
countryside. transmitter in his attic seems to persist
in bureaucratic minds to this day, even
though spies now have far easier ways 3.5 Security
to send information home - such as Because radio transmissions expand
hotmail. outward in a large cone, people other
than the desired recipient can pick up
3.2 License fees the transmission. Unless quality
As users and uses for wireless software encryption is employed,
communication have increased, radio which still happens rather rarely, radio
spectrum has become increasingly communication is easy to intercept.
scarce. Auctioning thin slices of it has Illegal use of radio communication is
become highly lucrative for also fairly easy to detect.
governments. Typically, such license
fees are not just one-time, but annual.
9. CONCLUSION
Wireless optical communication
has advanced far enough, that it
encompasses all the benefits of
conventional wireless - quick
deployment and mobile
communication, while delivering
a million times more bandwidth
than a GSM phone, providing
much higher security and
consuming far less power. Since,
unlike conventional wireless,
optical devices operate in
globally unregulated frequency