In May 2025, theNetworkingChannel brought together a panel of leading researchers for a deep technical discussion on underwater communications and networks . Organised by Marco Ajmone Marsan of IMDEA Networks Institute and Politecnico di Torino, the webinar explored how connectivity can be extended into one of the most challenging environments on Earth, the underwater domain. The session highlighted not only how far the field has progressed, but also why underwater networking remains fundamentally different from the terrestrial and satellite systems that dominate today’s connectivity landscape. The discussion opened by setting the context for underwater communications as an enabling technology for ocean observation, industrial operations and autonomous systems. From seabed sensors and autonomous underwater vehicles to surface buoys and gateways linking back to shore, the vision is of a heterogeneous network that spans the seabed, the water column and the surface. Cabled connection...
2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, IoT, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, Sigfox, Satellites