High-Capacity Radio Communication for the Polar Region: Challenges and Potential Solutions [Wireless Corner]

The melting of the Arctic glaciers is resulting in the opening of major transportation routes, such as the Northwest, Northeast and North-North Passages. With increasing shipping traffic and activities related to the fishing, oil, and gas industries, the need for reliable communication systems in the polar region is very high. In this paper, we discuss the communication challenges and limitations in the polar region, and study the different technologies that might be used. In addition to using geostationary, high-elliptical-orbit, and low-Earth-orbit satellites, low-cost alternatives, such as a store-and-forward method using polar-orbiting satellites, high-frequency multiple-input multiple-output (HF MIMO), and wide-area mesh network solutions, are proposed. Depending on the type of service to be provided and the budget needed to roll out and operate the system, operators may choose one of the proposed communication solutions for the polar region.