Terabit per second optical wireless links for virtual reality technology

The information networks of the future will consist of an all-optical core, with wireless access technologies wherever possible. The fibre networks are extending their reach rapidly, and will further extend to individual spaces within homes and office buildings. The data traffic on networks and the demand for wireless services are also growing exponentially and the nature of services is also evolving with rapid increase in the number of devices. A new generation of 3D displays, with the ability to create Virtual Reality (VR) environments, is being launched. VR technology places significant demands on bandwidth, latency, positioning and mobility. One challenge addressed by our European collaborative project WORTECS is the development of an optical wireless system able to deliver ultra-high throughput (up to Tbps). The first demonstrator focuses on a high density network that can provide > 1 Gbps per user with multi user, but has the potential to provide Tbps per indoor environment. The second demonstrator focuses on ultra-high data rate links with a novel fibre-optical wireless-fibre approach to create Tbps capable links. VR is targeted as a demanding application, however, other applications include wireless data centers and aircraft cabins. In this paper, after introduction on the demand for wireless Terabit/s communication, we will focus on VR use case and the need for multi-Gigabit/s data rates. Then we will present the challenges for the project and propose new optical wireless system architecture and system engineering associated to new approach in space and frequency diversity with OFDM and adaptive bit rate for VR