FREE SPACE OPTICS : High Bandwidth Solution in Network World

Today's information economy depends on the transmission of data, voice and multimedia across telecommunication networks. The global telecommunication network has seen massive expansion over the last few years. First came the tremendous growth of the long haul Wide Area Network (WAN), followed by Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs). Despite new technologies optical networks are the most ideal medium foe high bandwidth communications. There are two distinct types of optical communications: fiber optics and optical wireless systems based on free space optics technology. Free space optical communications is a Line-of-Sight (LOS) technology that transmits a modulated beam of visible or infrared light through the atmosphere for broadband communications.