Editorial: Maritime broadband communications and networking

Abstract

As development, production, and services become increasingly digital, the maritime economy is undergoing a process of transformation. Digitalization in the ocean industry is therefore regarded as one of the most significant global trends. The digitalization of numerous maritime activities, such as oil extraction, autonomous shipping, maritime transportation, and fish farming, which continue to be rapidly developed, will become a decisive competitive factor for the entire maritime sector and generate a vast quantity of ocean data. The implementation of these processes relies on nationwide broadband and mobile radio networks with high data transfer capabilities, broad coverage, and high stability, which necessitates the development of new broadband maritime communication technology. The objective of this Research Topic is to accelerate the new research on maritime broadband communications and networking including underwater acoustic, maritime radio channel measurement and modeling, maritime satellite systems, and related applications like collision avoidance.