Need of UAVs and Physical Layer Security in Next-generation Non-terrestrial Wireless Networks- Potential Challenges and Open Issues

TY - JOUR

T1 - Need of UAVs and Physical Layer Security in Next-generation Non-terrestrial Wireless Networks- Potential Challenges and Open Issues

AU - Haq, Asim Ul

AU - Sefati, Seyed Salar

AU - Nawaz, Syed Junaid

AU - Mihovska, Albena

AU - Beliatis, Michail

PY - 2025/1/3

Y1 - 2025/1/3

N2 - Recent revolutionary advancements in the services as observed with the use cases of Industry 5.0, consumer electronics 2.0/smart devices 2.0, digital healthcare ecosystem, Internet-of-Things (IoT), advanced digital finance/currency, and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) expansion, to name a few, have resulted in a spectacular growth in the number of wireless-connected devices. Subsequently, this has drastically increased the demands for network capacity, channel capacity, reliability, privacy, and security provisions. Despite that, the 5th Generation (5 G) of wireless communication networks has introduced various innovative services such as Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLCs), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTCs), and Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB). These services only support isolated operations and the requisite reliable service delivery remains a challenge. The Beyond 5 G (B5G)/6th Generation (6 G) wireless networks aim at simultaneously providing multiple integrated services through intelligent network operations with ultra-high speed and reliability supporting integrated NTN and terrestrial networks. However, the prospect of such an extensively connected decentralized 3D wireless network also foresees security concerns, underscoring the necessity for seamless and infrastructure-free (decentralized) security solutions. The conventional security mechanisms are considered inadequate to ensure the security provisions of such extensive, decentralized, and heterogeneous networks. Physical Layer Security (PLS) is a promising technique to extend seamless and infrastructure-less security solutions, ensuring the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of legitimate transmissions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview with tutorials and presents the state-of-the-art of PLS, focusing mainly on NTN wireless communications. Furthermore, current research challenges, open issues, and future research directions are also thoroughly discussed in an amalgamation of various emerging 6 G technologies. Finally, we provide an overview of implementation challenges in NTN and potential solutions to support the standardization progression of NTN in upcoming releases of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

AB - Recent revolutionary advancements in the services as observed with the use cases of Industry 5.0, consumer electronics 2.0/smart devices 2.0, digital healthcare ecosystem, Internet-of-Things (IoT), advanced digital finance/currency, and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) expansion, to name a few, have resulted in a spectacular growth in the number of wireless-connected devices. Subsequently, this has drastically increased the demands for network capacity, channel capacity, reliability, privacy, and security provisions. Despite that, the 5th Generation (5 G) of wireless communication networks has introduced various innovative services such as Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLCs), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTCs), and Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB). These services only support isolated operations and the requisite reliable service delivery remains a challenge. The Beyond 5 G (B5G)/6th Generation (6 G) wireless networks aim at simultaneously providing multiple integrated services through intelligent network operations with ultra-high speed and reliability supporting integrated NTN and terrestrial networks. However, the prospect of such an extensively connected decentralized 3D wireless network also foresees security concerns, underscoring the necessity for seamless and infrastructure-free (decentralized) security solutions. The conventional security mechanisms are considered inadequate to ensure the security provisions of such extensive, decentralized, and heterogeneous networks. Physical Layer Security (PLS) is a promising technique to extend seamless and infrastructure-less security solutions, ensuring the availability, confidentiality, and integrity of legitimate transmissions. This paper provides a comprehensive overview with tutorials and presents the state-of-the-art of PLS, focusing mainly on NTN wireless communications. Furthermore, current research challenges, open issues, and future research directions are also thoroughly discussed in an amalgamation of various emerging 6 G technologies. Finally, we provide an overview of implementation challenges in NTN and potential solutions to support the standardization progression of NTN in upcoming releases of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

KW - 5G

KW - 6G

KW - non-terrestrial networks

KW - physical layer

KW - privacy

KW - secret key generation

KW - security

KW - uavs-enabled communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85215866187&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/OJVT.2025.3525781

DO - 10.1109/OJVT.2025.3525781

M3 - Journal article

SN - 2644-1330

VL - 6

SP - 554

EP - 595

JO - IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology

JF - IEEE Open Journal of Vehicular Technology

ER -