A Novel Hybrid FSO/mmWave/RF System Design and Analysis for Next Generation Wireless Communication

With the increasing demand for faster data rate along with the integration of a wide range of devices to the network, there is a necessity to explore new paradigms of wireless communication. Homogeneous physical layer communication, such as RF, laser, optical Fiber, are morphing into a hybrid combination amongst each other to improve the service provided to the large variety of devices. In this paper, we focus on designing and analyzing the hybrid communication model that uses radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves, millimeter Waves (mmWaves), and free-space optical (FSO) waves for reliable communication. Specifically, for the proposed model, we analyze the overall spectral efficiency between the source and destination nodes aided by a variable gain AF relay and consequently obtain the optimal relay placement between the source and destination to maximize the overall spectral efficiency. Finally, we analyze the proposed system under different channel conditions between the source, relay, and destination and also obtain numerical results to validate and strengthen the analysis.