Optical Wireless Communications: Enabling the Next-Generation Network of Networks
Optical wireless communication (OWC) is a promising technology anticipated to play a key role in the next-generation network of networks (NoNs), especially as a complementary technology to traditional radio-frequency (RF) communications, for enhancing networking capabilities beyond conventional terrestrial networks. OWC is already a mature technology with diverse usage scenarios and can enable integrated applications via wireless access and backhaul networks, dynamic drone and satellite networks, underwater networks, inter- and intrasystem interconnecting networks, and vehicular communication networks. Furthermore, novel and emerging technological opportunities such as photovoltaic cells, orbital angular momentum-based modulation, optical reconfigurable intelligent surfaces, organic light-emitting and photo diodes, and recent advances in ultraviolet communications can help to enhance future OWC capabilities even further. Moreover, OWC networks can also support value-added services such as enhanced positioning and gesture recognition. Hence, OWC provides unique functionalities that can play a crucial role in building convergent and resilient future NoNs alongside RF and optical fiber technologies.
Authors
- Rizwana Ahmad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0146-366X)
- Othman Isam Younus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2015-1175)
- Henning Helmers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1660-7651)
- Yifan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3717-7807)
- Sina Babadi
- Isaac N. O. Osahon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5685-6068)
- Robert Schober (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6420-4884)
- Graham A. Turnbull (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2132-7091)
- Hossein Safi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5427-7780)
- Hümeyra Çağlayan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0656-614X)
- Aravindh Krishnamoorthy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7186-121X)
- Sujan Rajbhandari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8742-118X)
- Hossein Kazemi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5051-0565)
- Jonathan J. D. McKendry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6379-3955)
- Ifor D. W. Samuel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7821-7208)
- Johannes Herrnsdorf (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3856-5782)
- Harald Haas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9705-2701)
- Behnaz Majlesein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5009-3987)
- Mingqing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5658-7811)
- Iman Tavakkolnia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4736-1949)
- Martin D. Dawson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6639-2989)
- Asim Ihsan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7491-7178)
- Yi Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5327-7965)
Institutions
- Tongji University (CN)
- Tampere University (FI)
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- University of Strathclyde (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine
- Published
- 2025-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1109/mvt.2025.3555366
- Citations
- 17
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Photonic Communication Systems
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.42