High-Rate Reliable Communication Using Multi-Hop and Mesh THz/FSO Networks

Abstract

In this work, we consider multi-hop and mesh hybrid teraHertz/free-space optics (THz/FSO)-based backhaul networks for high data-rate communications. The results are presented for the cases with both out-band integrated access and backhaul (IAB) and non-IAB based communication setups. We consider different deployments of the THz and FSO networks and consider both switching and combining methods between the hybrid THz/FSO links. We study the impact of atmospheric turbulence, atmospheric attenuation, and the pointing error on the FSO communication. The THz communication suffers from small scale fading, path-loss, and the misalignment error. Finally, we evaluate the effects of atmospheric attenuation/path-loss, pointing/misalignment error, small-scale fading, atmospheric turbulence, number of antennas, number of user equipments, number of hops, and the threshold data-rates on the performance of considered systems. As we show, with different network deployments and switching/combining methods, the hybrid implementation of the THz/FSO links improves the network reliability significantly.

Keywords

• Free-space optics (FSO)
• TeraHertz (THz) communication
• integrated access and backhaul (IAB)
• wireless backhaul
• multi-hop and mesh network
• 5G Advanced