A review of integrated optical and wireless broadband access networks

Abstract

Broadband access network nowadays has obtained increasing attention among internet users. High bandwidth demands and the need on mobility of the network cause the network design and architectures to be part of the hot topics in the research area. Wireline optical and wireless networks are two different architectures of broadband access network which offer advantages over each other. High capacity optical network integrated with tetherless wireless network enables high-speed communications to mobile users at anytime and anywhere. This paper defines integrated optical wireless broadband access network, outlines the architectures of different network models, the features and key issues of the network.