Integrated Wireless-pon access Network Architectures Milos Milosavljevic

1.5 Motivation and Objectives 
The aforementioned networking characteristics will create a more sophisticated communication 
substratum in which advanced rate control and adaptation mechanisms can be deployed, 
offering a more enhanced user experience in terms of cutting edge multimedia services. The 
combination of all these network traits renders the overall PON-WIMAX architecture more 
self-sustained, since the effective integration of a flexible resource allocation and multi-path 
wireless access, through novel and effective radio cell techniques, creates a more sophisticated 
platform that minimizes the necessity for monitoring and corrective interventions. The cost 
effectiveness of such schemes creates new opportunities for service and network providers since 
futuristic services can be provided over a more reconfigurable, easily deployable and profitable 
networking framework.
Furthermore, the design and deployment of wireless networks has mainly been service-driven 
and has been centred on the end-user satisfaction while on the other hand the main 
preoccupation pertaining to optical systems evolutions relates to the issue of future-proofness 
against legacy and emerging services and applications. In view to that, with the ultimate goal of 
providing access to information when needed, wherever needed, and in whatever format, the 

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Chapter 1 
Introduction – PON and WiMAX Technologies 
11 
vision of technological convergence of wireless and optical networks is not only becoming a 
necessity but also plays a key role in future communications networks.
Consequently, towards the technical evolution of optical-wireless access networks and the 
seamless coexistence of both technologies, this research programme focuses on important 
solutions to problems relating to this direction. The boundary between both worlds will be 
softer and as the commercial volume increases the cost of components will be driven down thus 
increasing the widespread and success for feasible and economically affordable deployment and 
operation of these future integrated architectural platforms. 
To that extent, this work is tackling the issue that stem from the coexistence of diverse 
technologies, PON and WiMAX, within the same infrastructure. It will efficiently exploit the 
benefits offered by the advantageous combination of these technologies to provide enhanced 
PON’s flexibility and robustness as well as improved WiMAX performance.
To summarise, the main objectives of this research programme are: 
Definition of a novel access network architecture achieving convergence among 
heterogeneous technologies (optical and wireless)
Defining the architectural details and interfaces for embedding the WiMAX into overall 
network structure 
Investigating the analogue transmission of wireless signals based on radio over fibre 
(RoF) techniques over PONs and wireless channels 
Definition of multi-wavelength support over splitter-based PON for enhanced network 
scalability and dynamicity 
Specifications and the investigation of advanced network solutions such as WiMAX 
overlapping radio cells enabled by the integrated architectural platform

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