FSO link attenuation measurement in extreme winter conditions for secure 5G applications

Abstract

The functionality of Free Space Optical (FSO) communication links is highly influenced by meteorological conditions such as precipitation, snowfall, and fog. In this study, we establish an FSO link and conduct experimental measurements to evaluate the link performance under extreme winter conditions in the city of Astana, with the goal of facilitating secure 5G applications. During the measurement period, the lowest recorded temperature was -19.3 °C, with an average of -7 °C. We present the path loss for a link with a distance of 212 meters under various weather conditions (snow, clear sky, cloudy, overcast), visibility, humidity, and air pressure levels. We also record wind speed and snowfall rate. The obtained path loss data is subsequently compared with analytical approximations previously reported in the literature.