Future wireless networks (beyond 5G) are being shaped around key performance indicators (KPIs) such as ubiquitous connectivity, ultra-low latency, and tera-bit data rate, which are based on yet-toemerge applications such Internet-of-Sense, Mixed Media Reality, Digital Twins, to name a few. Moreover, the role of future networks is believed to be about global growth, sustainability, security, and equity rather than just providing digital communication. Therefore, academia and industry need to integrate innovative and disruptive technologies, such as optical wireless communications (OWC), into the architecture of future networks and extend the network reach beyond pure terrestrial systems to also include aerial and satellite networks. OWC provide secure and high data rate communication links which can be used for a range of scenarios, from indoor access networks to free space backhaul links. To this end, an increased number of research activities are targeting both device development and signal processing techniques in the field of OWC. Nevertheless, there are still many challenges which need to be addressed to fully deploy OWC systems into the future network architecture.
Topics of interest in the field of OWC include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) for OWC
- Physical layer security for OWC
- Joint energy harvesting and communication
- Advanced materials for OWC applications
- Optics design (lenses, concentrators, diffusers, etc.)
- Satellite communication including low earth orbit (LEO)
- Multiple access techniques including NOMA, RSMA, etc.
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning for intelligent and adaptive networks
- Integrated light-based communication and sensing
- Free space backhaul design
- Beam steering and alignment techniques
- OWC for vehicular applications
- Optical IoT and IoE applications
- OWC modulation, coding, and detection
- Integration of OWC in 5G/6G and beyond
- Application of OWC in ORAN
- Hybrid RF/THz/OWC links
- Transceiver design and optimization
- Modulation and coding techniques
- Underwater communication
- Ultraviolet communications
