Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Communication Networks for the Maritime Internet of Things: Key Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

Wei, Te; Feng, Wei; Chen, Yunfei; Wang, Cheng-Xiang; Ge, Ning; Lu, Jianhua

doi:10.1109/jiot.2021.3056091

Cited by 191 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 233 publications

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“…Although there is some interesting literature on maritime communication technologies utilizing particular terrestrial and satellite communication technologies as reviewed in [ 6 , 7 ], there is very limited research available on multimodal maritime communication systems. Three recent research papers propose conceptual network architectures for maritime use-cases analyzing the overall operation of the system, but do not provide concrete implementations or evaluations of such systems [ 6 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Satellite communications including Low Earth orbit (LEO), Medium Earth orbit (MEO) and Geostationary orbit (GEO), point-to-point wireless links, as well as research communications (i.e., evaporation ducts and troposcatter), are compared in this study in terms of range, bandwidth, latency, and cost. A more detailed, comprehensive review of hybrid satellite-terrestrial maritime communication networks, including communication requirements, state-of-the-art networks, and enabling technologies is published by Wei et al [ 7 ]. They categorized the enabling technologies into three types, namely enhancing transmission efficiency, extending network coverage, and provisioning maritime-specific services.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multimodal Network Architecture for Shared Situational Awareness amongst Vessels

Seferagic

Haxhibeqiri

Pilozzi

et al. 2021

Sensors

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To shift the paradigm towards Industry 4.0, maritime domain aims to utilize shared situational awareness (SSA) amongst vessels. SSA entails sharing various heterogeneous information, depending on the context and use case at hand, and no single wireless technology is equally suitable for all uses. Moreover, different vessels are equipped with different hardware and have different communication capabilities, as well as communication needs. To enable SSA regardless of the vessel’s communication capabilities and context, we propose a multimodal network architecture that utilizes all of the network interfaces on a vessel, including multiple IEEE 802.11 interfaces, and automatically bootstraps the communication transparently to the applications, making the entire communication system environment-aware, service-driven, and technology-agnostic. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of the proposed network architecture which introduces virtually no additional delays as compared to the Linux communication stack, automates communication bootstrapping, and uses a novel application-network integration concept that enables application-aware networks, as well as network-aware applications. The evaluation was conducted for several IEEE 802.11 flavors. Although inspired by SSA for vessels, the proposed architecture incorporates several concepts applicable in other domains. It is modular enough to support existing, as well as emerging communication technologies.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimodal Network Architecture for Shared Situational Awareness amongst Vessels

Seferagic

Haxhibeqiri

Pilozzi

et al. 2021

Sensors

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For the vision of 6G, it is generally recognized that terrestrial cellular networks alone cannot achieve. For example, in remote rural and barren areas, traditional terrestrial networks are still incapable of deploying and maintaining owing to their limitations of geographical location and operation cost [3], [4], [5], [6]. According to the report of Global System for Mobile Communications assembly (GMSA), more than 40% of the Earth's area is still without network coverage, and nearly 4.6 billion Internet users are looking forward to a higher rate plus lower latency network [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

LEO Mega-Constellations for 6G Global Coverage: Challenges and Opportunities

et al. 2021

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Mega-constellations have the potential for providing 6G Internet owing to the unique advantage of global coverage. However, current satellite technologies are not omnipotent. There are still many challenging problems that need to be solved for mega-constellations to support 6G, e.g., efficient resource allocation, gratifying mobility management, and large-scale full-time TT&C (tracking, telemetry, and command). This paper starts with a novel definition of LEO mega-constellations and a brief review regarding the current typical mega-constellations, discussing the development direction of the mega-constellation air interface. Then, the key technologies development status of satellite networks is illustrated and analyzed from five aspects: network protocol, multiple access, satellite handover, TT&C, and interference mitigation, especially their adaptability in mega-constellations for 6G global coverage. Finally, considering the features and requirements of 6G, future challenges for mega-constellations and some potential solutions are proposed.

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“…As an example, surveillance and security systems that need to send multiple photos or high-volume sensor data, could benefit from the proposed technology in poor connectivity areas. RBSA could also play a role in maritime IoT to handle large data rates [23]. As for the devices, the application scope should be circumscribed to advanced platforms with tracking antennas, providing the necessary gains at Ka-band.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Smart Beamforming for Direct LEO Satellite Access of Future IoT

Caus

Pérez-Neira

Mendez

2021

Sensors

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Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are expected to play a key role in extending and complementing terrestrial 5G networks in order to provide services to air, sea, and un-served or under-served areas. This paper focuses the attention on the uplink, where terminals are able to establish a direct link with the NTN at Ka-band. To reduce the collision probability when a large population of terminals is transmitting simultaneously, we propose a grant-free access scheme called resource sharing beamforming access (RSBA). We study RBSA for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications with massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). The idea is to benefit from the spatial diversity to decode multiple overlapped signals. We have devised a blind and open-loop beamforming technique, where neither the receiver must carry out brute-force search in azimuth and elevation, nor are the terminals required to report channel state information. Upon deriving the theoretical throughput, we show that RBSA is appropriate for grant-free access to LEO satellite, it reduces the probability of collision, and thus it increases the number of terminals that can access the media. Practical implementation aspects have been tackled, such as the estimation of the required statistics, and the determination of the number of users.

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Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Communication Networks for the Maritime Internet of Things: Key Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract: Please refer to published version for the most recent bibliographic citation information. If a published version is known of, the repository item page linked to above, will contain details on accessing it.

Cited by 191 publications

References 233 publications

Multimodal Network Architecture for Shared Situational Awareness amongst Vessels

Multimodal Network Architecture for Shared Situational Awareness amongst Vessels

LEO Mega-Constellations for 6G Global Coverage: Challenges and Opportunities

Smart Beamforming for Direct LEO Satellite Access of Future IoT

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