Review of Studies that Integrate the Free Space Optics with Fiber Optics

This paper presents a comprehensive survey on the importance of free space optics (FSO) systems used as last mile for communication systems and their integration with optical fibers. Optical fiber is already being used in the backbone networks due to its high speed and high bandwidth qualities but the last mile has always been a problem. Last mile is the last physical connection between access network and the end user. FSO systems provide an innovative solution to this problem. The surveyed integration techniques are explained with their working principles. All the nodes used to make this integration possible are also thoroughly explained. The advantages and disadvantages of FSO systems are also listed and discussed. The paper also discusses current challenges and directions for future research.