A comprehensive review on underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) systems: present and future prospective

Abstract

Underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) is a compelling technology for a small, high-speed, and cost-effective underwater communication solution due to its low latency, high bandwidth, and enhanced security attributes. UWOC is a widely accepted technology in several maritime industrial services, significantly contributing to the early detection of floods, tsunamis, natural calamities, real-time data streaming, and military/naval tactical operations. Thus, in this work, a comprehensive review on UWOC systems is studied considering the impact of path loss owing to water turbulence, misalignment, and attenuation effects. A deep study of existing work, its architecture, challenges, applications, and future scope is illustrated. This study realized that UWOC scenarios can be regarded as a substitute to fulfill the need of high throughput and huge data communications like imaging, video transmission, real-time, high-speed sensor networks, etc.