Resilient topology design for free space optical cellular backhaul networking

Abstract

With cellular networks' densification, backhaul solutions tend to go wireless to reduce costs. Free space optic (FSO) links are becoming an appealing, secure and high rate alternative to RF. To ensure a reliable cellular backhaul, redundancy provisions for disjoint paths between the nodes must be made in the network design phase. This paper presents cost-effective solutions, using FSO links and mirrors, that can be employed to upgrade a cellular backhaul with pre-deployed optical fibers. An integer programming model is introduced to approach optimal FSO backhaul design, guaranteeing K-disjoint paths between each node pair. We use realistic scenarios to demonstrate some optimal backhaul topologies by solving the model. We also illustrate the impact of K and the number of optical fibers on optimal solutions.