Hybrid Satellite-Optical Ring Network for Regional Blackspots in Australia's National Broadband Network

Satellite communications is the most prominent solution for covering remote areas for broadband Internet access where long and expensive cables are not feasible to be deployed. The Australia’s National Broadband Network (NBN) initiation ’delivering superfast broadband to Australian homes and workplaces’ currently face the problem of deploying long fibres to cover regional blackspots considering the geographic structure of the continent. Considering this we present some preliminary ideas to have hybrid satellite-optical broadband networks specifically covering the regional blackspots in Australia based on ring network topologies. We present topologies for the hybrid network and also architecture for the electronic (RF)-optical interface which enables to connect the fibre optical network to the satellites. Furthermore, topologies for the regional fibre optical networks in the blackspot regions are also presented in this paper.