Towards better maritime connectivity with hybrid RF/FSO links

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KAUST CTL PhD candidate Fahad Al-Qurashi lead a team of researchers and engineers in establishing and operating a hybrid Free Space Optics (FSO) and Radio Frequency (RF) link, successfully connecting the 19 km offshore Shabara Island in the Red Sea Global (RSG) area for over six months. The results of his study, accepted for presentation at IEEE Globecom 2024 this coming December, demonstrate that the FSO solution achieved a full-duplex data rate of 20 Gbps with an availability of 98.71%. The overall system maintained 99.999% connectivity by utilizing the RF link as a backup. These findings underscore the potential of FSO technology in delivering high-speed maritime communication, making it a viable solution for connecting remote and underserved areas.

More information about this project is available at: Red Sea Global introduces cutting-edge Free-Space Optics technology to deliver super-fast internet at remote island destination