  A new concept of a free-space, high-speed (Gbps) optical communication system
based on spectral encoding of radiation from a broadband pulsed laser is
developed. It is shown that, in combination with the use of partially coherent
laser beams and a relatively slow photosensor, scintillations can be suppressed
by orders of magnitude for distances of more than 10 km. We also consider the
spectral encoding of radiation from a LED as a gigabit rate solution of the
"last mile" problem and rapid-deployment systems for disaster recovery.
