Unmanned Surface Vessel Assisted Maritime Wireless Communication Toward 6G: Opportunities and Challenges

Sixth generation (6G) mobile communication aims to construct an autonomous network architecture with human-like consciousness and intelligence. 6G mobile technology is expected to integrate space, air, ground, and sea networks to provide full-dimensional wireless and ubiquitous coverage. Compared to terrestrial communications, maritime wireless communications are still far behind expectations to satisfy 6G requirements for ubiquitous wireless connectivity and extensive coverage. Fortunately, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) with agile maneuverability and adaptive capability is a potential solution to enhance maritime communication coverage and performance. However, how to apply mobile USVs to maritime wireless communication is still an open issue. In this article, we provide an overview of USV-assisted maritime wireless communication by introducing three typical USV application scenarios, basic networking architecture, and design considerations, as well as the main challenges. An example of USV-assisted mobile relaying is conducted to demonstrate the benefits provided by adopting USV in maritime wireless communication.