Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects
The convergence of sixth-generation (6G) networks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites is poised to introduce substantial improvements to the landscape of wireless communication, paving the way for a unified and uninterrupted space-air-ground-sea network that ensures comprehensive glo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072807/ |
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| author | Sherief Hashima Ahmad Gendia Kohei Hatano Osamu Muta Mostafa S. Nada Ehab Mahmoud Mohamed |
| author_facet | Sherief Hashima Ahmad Gendia Kohei Hatano Osamu Muta Mostafa S. Nada Ehab Mahmoud Mohamed |
| author_sort | Sherief Hashima |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The convergence of sixth-generation (6G) networks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites is poised to introduce substantial improvements to the landscape of wireless communication, paving the way for a unified and uninterrupted space-air-ground-sea network that ensures comprehensive global connectivity. At the heart of this transformative paradigm lies artificial intelligence (AI), which drives innovation across diverse sectors by enhancing decision-making autonomy, enabling real-time data processing, and optimizing network performance and coverage. This survey paper explores AI-enabled UAV-satellite communications for 6G applications, focusing on its challenges, potential, and future. This new system combines the strengths of 6G networks, UAVs (advanced drones), and satellites. It opens up new possibilities in precision agriculture, disaster management, enhanced telecommunication services, and remote sensing. Despite its promise, this field faces complex challenges. These include spectrum management, security risks, regulatory barriers, and integrating AI operations seamlessly. This paper comprehensively analyzes these challenges, offering innovative solutions and outlining future research directions to unlock the complete capabilities of 6G-enabled UAV-satellite communications. Furthermore, it includes a case study demonstrating the effectiveness of multi-armed bandit (MAB) algorithms in optimizing resource allocation and decision-making processes for UAV-low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication scenarios, showcasing significant improvements in network performance. This work lays the foundation for a new generation of ultra-connected, data-driven applications that will redefine global connectivity and technological advancement by addressing these critical aspects. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bd8e5a30689c4e308d883ce9d6505cb2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2644-1330 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-bd8e5a30689c4e308d883ce9d6505cb22025-08-20T03:58:37ZengIEEEIEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology2644-13302025-01-0161990202110.1109/OJVT.2025.358702811072807Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future ProspectsSherief Hashima0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4443-7066Ahmad Gendia1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4197-5288Kohei Hatano2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1536-1269Osamu Muta3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5100-9855Mostafa S. Nada4https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7928-0216Ehab Mahmoud Mohamed5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5443-9711Computational Learning Theory Team, RIKEN-Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP), Fukuoka, JapanFaculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanComputational Learning Theory Team, RIKEN-Advanced Intelligence Project (AIP), Fukuoka, JapanFaculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JapanEgypt Japan University of Science and Technology, Alexandria, EgyptDepartment of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering in Wadi Addawasir, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Wadi Addawasir, Saudi ArabiaThe convergence of sixth-generation (6G) networks with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellites is poised to introduce substantial improvements to the landscape of wireless communication, paving the way for a unified and uninterrupted space-air-ground-sea network that ensures comprehensive global connectivity. At the heart of this transformative paradigm lies artificial intelligence (AI), which drives innovation across diverse sectors by enhancing decision-making autonomy, enabling real-time data processing, and optimizing network performance and coverage. This survey paper explores AI-enabled UAV-satellite communications for 6G applications, focusing on its challenges, potential, and future. This new system combines the strengths of 6G networks, UAVs (advanced drones), and satellites. It opens up new possibilities in precision agriculture, disaster management, enhanced telecommunication services, and remote sensing. Despite its promise, this field faces complex challenges. These include spectrum management, security risks, regulatory barriers, and integrating AI operations seamlessly. This paper comprehensively analyzes these challenges, offering innovative solutions and outlining future research directions to unlock the complete capabilities of 6G-enabled UAV-satellite communications. Furthermore, it includes a case study demonstrating the effectiveness of multi-armed bandit (MAB) algorithms in optimizing resource allocation and decision-making processes for UAV-low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication scenarios, showcasing significant improvements in network performance. This work lays the foundation for a new generation of ultra-connected, data-driven applications that will redefine global connectivity and technological advancement by addressing these critical aspects.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072807/Sixth-generation (6G)artificial intelligence (AI)unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)satellite communicationsmulti-armed bandit (MAB)generative adversarial network (GAN) |
| spellingShingle | Sherief Hashima Ahmad Gendia Kohei Hatano Osamu Muta Mostafa S. Nada Ehab Mahmoud Mohamed Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology Sixth-generation (6G) artificial intelligence (AI) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) satellite communications multi-armed bandit (MAB) generative adversarial network (GAN) |
| title | Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects |
| title_full | Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects |
| title_fullStr | Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects |
| title_short | Next-Gen UAV-Satellite Communications: AI Innovations and Future Prospects |
| title_sort | next gen uav satellite communications ai innovations and future prospects |
| topic | Sixth-generation (6G) artificial intelligence (AI) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) satellite communications multi-armed bandit (MAB) generative adversarial network (GAN) |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11072807/ |
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