Exploring the Potential of 5G for Maritime Military Communications

Fifth-generation (5G) mobile technology is attracting military sectors for its advanced and cost-effective communication capabilities. However, strategic planning and trials are crucial. This work presents a naval 5G ship-to-ship measurement campaign, providing practical maritime 5G experience. A theoretical model for estimating pathloss, uplink throughput, and transmission range is provided, showing that theory and practice align well, with sea state and equipment height impacting performance. This paper was originally presented at the NATO Science and Technology Organization Symposium (ICMCIS) organized by the Information Systems Technology (IST) Scientific and Technical Committee, IST-209-RSY - the ICMCIS, held in Oeiras, Portugal, 13–14 May 2025.