In this paper, the performance of free space optics (FSO) technology is investigated under the effect of external electric fields perturbations; standard parameters of the proposed system adopted by performing experimental setup measurements on the laser propagation axis and computer simulation using the “OptiSystem” program. The experimental results show linear relation between the electric field and the fluctuation of the output power As a result of the interference between the transmitted signal and the noise created by an electric field. The simulation results illustrate that when the transmitter divergence angle increased the Q-factor decreased, but not high enough to cause a complete blocking to the transmitted signal. The significance of these results, they help to understand the effect of electric discharges and Corona phenomenon of the electric field produced by the transmission line conductors nearby the optical communication systems where, (1 mrad) is the most effective divergence angle that reduces these effects.

In this study, the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique is proposed to mitigate the influence of an external electric field on the free space optical (FSO) communication. The main advantages of the proposed technique are: decrease the attenuation (decrease bit error rate BER), improve data transmission at all divergence angles, and increase the quality (Q-factor) (even when it decreases at higher divergence angles). The importance of these results can be used to solve the problem of electric discharges that occurs on power transmission lines that interfere with the optical wireless system.