An Overview of Maritime Wireless Mesh Communication Technologies and Protocols

Maritime wireless mesh networks (MWMNs) are conceived to provide network connectivity for maritime users and enable them to communicate with correspondent users connected to terrestrial communication networks. The high cost and low data-rate of satellite and other legacy maritime communication technologies and systems deployed in MWMNs pose major limitation to establish reliable and affordable maritime communications. In addition, the design of routing protocols in MWMNs remains a significant challenge due to the lack of reliable communication infrastructure and complexity of maritime environment. This paper explains the existing maritime communication technologies and routing protocols which could be deployed in implementing reliable MWMNs. Comprehensive guidelines are outlined to easily understand and critically assess the different deployed maritime communication networks and systems with routing protocols, and identify the milestones in the process of developing and implementing broadband MWMNs.