CROWN - Converged Optical and Wireless Networks: Network Architecture and Routing Algorithms

A converged optical and wireless network (CROWN) is proposed for broadband, ubiquitous access service. The network consists of an optical backhaul and a wireless mesh. The broadband optical backhaul combines multiple TDM/WDM passive optical networks (PONs) with a WDM ring. The TDM/WDM PONs are logically reconfigurable using tunable transceivers for better adaptation to changes in bandwidth demands. Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) are deployed in CROWN to penetrate into user premises for flexible and ubiquitous services, and wireless gateways are connected to PON branches, providing broadband access for wireless mesh networks. An integrated routing algorithm is developed for CROWN to improve network performance using highly efficient load balancing. Our simulation results show significant performance enhancement compared to hybrid networks with fixed optical backhaul or conventional wireless mesh networks.