Plenary Lecture

Island hopping with Optical Wireless: deployment and security


Prof. Stamatios Kartalopoulos
University of Oklahoma, USA
E-mail: kartalopoulos@ou.edu

Abstract: Optical wireless communications, also known as Free Space Optical (FSO), is evolving from a simple point-to-point link to a mesh network. This evolution is due to the inherent features of FSO, ease of deployment (few hours or a day) compared with fiber optic networks (months or years), lower cost (simpler optical transceiver), and high bandwidth that potential can match fiber optic transmission (10 Gbps). However, FSO has its own impediments (fog and other airborne atmospheric particles), which require a good understanding so that a countermeasure strategy is developed to provide seamless service under all conditions.
In this talk, we present the salient characteristics of FSO technology and we present a FSO mesh network with RF back-up and enhanced security that offers triple-play services, and is particularly suitable for deployment in areas where network nodes form a closely spaced cluster, such as the Aegean islands. The presentation includes network scalability as well as information security strategies.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Stamatios V. Kartalopoulos, PhD, is currently the Williams Professor in Telecommunications Networking at the University of Oklahoma. His research emphasis is on optical communication networks (FSO, long haul and FTTH), optical technology including optical metamaterials, and optical communications security including quantum cryptography and key distribution. Prior to this, he was with Bell Laboratories where he defined, led and managed research and development teams in the areas of DWDM networks, SONET/SDH and ATM, Cross-connects, Switching, Transmission and Access systems. He has received the President’s Award and many awards of Excellence.
He holds nineteen patents in communications networks, and he has published more than hundred scientific papers, seven reference textbooks important in advanced fiber optic communications, and has also contributed chapters to other books.
He has been an IEEE and a Lucent Technologies Distinguished Lecturer and has lectured at international Universities, at NASA and conferences,. He has been keynote speaker of major international conferences, has moderated executive forums, has been a panelist of interdisciplinary panels, and has organized symposia, workshops and sessions at major international communications conferences.
Dr Kartalopoulos is an IEEE Fellow, chair and founder of the IEEE ComSoc Communications & Information Security Technical Committee, member at large of IEEE New Technologies Directions Committee, and he has served as editor-in-chief of IEEE Press, chair of ComSoc Emerging Technologies and of SPCE Technical Committees, Area-editor of IEEE Communications Magazine/Optical Communications, member of IEEE PSPB, and VP of IEEE Computational Intelligence Society.