Technology tested

Free space optics (FSO)

Partnering agency

Department of Energy

Objectives

• Assess the viability of FSO for backup communications by Federal agencies
• Evaluate the effect of fog and other weather conditions on the link
• Evaluate the impact of link degradation on various user applications (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , teleconferencing)
• Verify the interoperability of FSO equipment with existing voice and data networks, including the Public Switched Telephone Network, during emergencies

Test Method Overview

The NCS established a link between two DOE sites in downtown Washington, DC. Traffic was generated and sent across the link while various applications collected statistics on other metrics, such as throughput and link receive power.

Results Overview

While FSO is a viable backup technology, conditions such as fog and poor visibility significantly affect its performance in terms of availability. Overall, system availability was 99.847%.