Fibreless optical communication links for isolated communities

The authors propose a short-haul point-to-point fibreless optical link. It is based on the results of numerous measurements accumulated over a 3-year period at University College London in the course of work on an R&D project on self-adaptive steering of optical beams. The authors describe the system and the experimental optical link. The technical characteristics of the link, the range capabilities and power budgets are also discussed. The range is discussed for still and turbulent atmospheric conditions. The suitability of the link for optical communications is discussed