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

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.11814 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.11814/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 28 Mar 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Leveraging Large Language Models for Integrated Satellite-Aerial-Terrestrial Networks: Recent Advances and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.04581/) (2024)
- [Deep Learning Aided Routing for Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks Relying on Real Satellite, Flight, and Shipping Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.15138/) (2021)
- [CARGO: Carbon-Aware Gossip Orchestration in Smart Shipping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.27857/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

With the rapid development of marine activities, there has been an increasing number of maritime mobile terminals, as well as a growing demand for high-speed and ultra-reliable maritime communications to keep them connected. Traditionally, the maritime Internet of Things (IoT) is enabled by maritime satellites. However, satellites are seriously restricted by their high latency and relatively low data rate. As an alternative, shore & island-based base stations (BSs) can be built to extend the coverage of terrestrial networks using fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and beyond 5G services. Unmanned aerial vehicles can also be exploited to serve as aerial maritime BSs. Despite of all these approaches, there are still open issues for an efficient maritime communication network (MCN). For example, due to the complicated electromagnetic propagation environment, the limited geometrically available BS sites, and rigorous service demands from mission-critical applications, conventional communication and networking theories and methods should be tailored for maritime scenarios. Towards this end, we provide a survey on the demand for maritime communications, the state-of-the-art MCNs, and key technologies for enhancing transmission efficiency, extending network coverage, and provisioning maritime-specific services. Future challenges in developing an environment-aware, service-driven, and integrated satellite-air-ground MCN to be smart enough to utilize external auxiliary information, e.g., sea state and atmosphere conditions, are also discussed.