Underwater Acoustic Communication Market - Forecast(2024 - 2030)

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Report Overview

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market size is analysed to grow at a CAGR of 11.4% during the forecast 2022-2027 to reach $2,489 million. Underwater acoustic communication is a method of sending and receiving signals beneath the surface of the water. Underwater acoustic communication differs from terrestrial communication in that it uses acoustic waves rather than electromagnetic signals. Rising underwater exploration activities, particularly for environmental protection, are driving the global underwater acoustic communication market. The deployment of underwater acoustic sensors to measure different degrees of pollution such as chemical, biological, and radioactive pollutants is predicted to help fuel demand for underwater acoustic communication technologies. Underwater acoustic digital signal processors and communications is a field of applied study that has seen significant progress. While there are numerous methods for commissioning underwater acoustic communication, hydrophones are the most commonly used. Underwater communication faces a number of obstacles, including channel time fluctuations, limited present bandwidth, multi-path propagation, and long-range signal attenuation, all of which can be overcome through acoustic communication. Heterodyned is typically used to band shift incoming frequencies into intermediate frequencies for demodulation. The carrier frequency is changed between discrete values in frequency shift keying. By using phase shift keying, At the start of the pulse, the phase of the carrier wave is shifted between discrete values. The growing relevance of dependable and secure communication in military and homeland security end-users is driving the underwater acoustic communication market. The increased use of underwater acoustic modems in naval defense is driving market expansion.

Report Coverage

The report: “Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Industry Outlook – Forecast (2022-2027)”, by IndustryARC covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market industry.

By Interface Platform: Sensor Interface, Acoustic Modem, Others
By Communication Range: Shallow Water, Medium Water, Full Water, Full Ocean
By End-User: Oil and Gas, Military and Defense, Homeland Security, Scientific Research and Development, Marine, Others
By Geography: North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and RoW

Key Takeaways

• Acoustic Modem dominated the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market with a revenue of $566.3m in 2021 and is projected to reach $1083.6m by 2027 and is also set to be the fastest-growing segment with a CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period 2022-2027.
• Underwater Acoustic Communication Market for military & defense was valued at $291.62 million in 2021 and the market is estimated to reach $ 586.43 million in 2027, at a CAGR of around 12.5% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The growing requirement for reliable long-distance communication in order to convey acoustically encoded tactical signals from a user-controlled station to a submerged submarine or other underwater asset is a major factor driving the global underwater acoustic communication market.
• North America region is dominating the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market with revenue of $447.3m in 2021 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period of 2022-2027 to generate a revenue of $833.8m in 2027. North America is expected to have the largest market share for underwater acoustic communication.
• Security worries, concerns over contested areas, and threats have resulted in a large increase in global defense spending. UUVs are used by the military for mine countermeasures, fast environmental assessment, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, harbor protection and port clearance operations, and anti-submarine warfare. As a result, UUVs are likely to be employed more frequently in the coming years to combat underwater security risks, resulting in global market growth.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Segment Analysis – By Interface Platform

Acoustic Modem dominated the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market with a revenue of $566.3m in 2021 and is projected to reach $1083.6m by 2027 and is also set to be the fastest-growing segment with a CAGR of 11.6% during the forecast period 2022-2027. Underwater acoustic modems are used to send and receive communication signals. Underwater acoustic modems transform digital signals into unique sound waves that can be transferred underwater, allowing for underwater communication. Underwater modems operate by modulating and demodulating communication signals beneath the water's surface, which differs from what happens on land. Underwater modem market participants are developing innovative technologies to improve the quality of underwater wireless data transmission. In July 2021, Popoto Modem, a US-based compact, inexpensive, high-powered, and general-purpose underwater communications device manufacturer announced the launch of Version 2.7 of its acoustic modem. The new modem is developed as per the industry standard for low-cost, small-scale, JANUS compliant underwater communications and control operations. This upgraded version by Popoto Modem provides enhanced features and improved ease of deployment in both OEM and completely enclosed configurations.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Segment Analysis - By End User

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market for military & defense was valued at $291.62 million in 2021 and the market is estimated to reach $ 586.43 million in 2027, at a CAGR of around 12.5% during the forecast period 2022-2027. The growing requirement for reliable long-distance communication in order to convey acoustically encoded tactical signals from a user-controlled station to a submerged submarine or other underwater asset is a major factor driving the global underwater acoustic communication market. Unreliable or insecure systems pose intolerable risks, resulting in the loss of assets and people. The vast variety of applications of underwater acoustic communication comprises submarine communications systems including AUV communication, diver communications systems, and so on. Special forces employ these advanced communication networks for mine clearance and other military operations. Underwater communications and networks are incorporating more modern technology and innovations in order to increase the robustness of large-scale underwater network deployment and high data-rate underwater communication. In March 2022, DSIT Solutions announced the launch of WhitePointer, a state-of-the-art underwater acoustic communication system that enables simultaneous communication between multiple surface and underwater platforms. The system is based on the company’s advanced underwater technology that allows networked communication between various users.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Share Segment Analysis - Geography

North America region is dominating the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market with revenue of $447.3m in 2021 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period of 2022-2027 to generate a revenue of $833.8m in 2027. North America is expected to have the largest market share for underwater acoustic communication. Due to growing security concerns in these countries, the United States is employing unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) for a variety of defense activities such as anti-submarine warfare, security, and surveillance. As a result, the rising applicability of UUVs in the defense and commercial sectors is expected to boost market expansion in North America. The US Office of Naval Research awarded Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC a $9.3 million contract in January 2021 to develop enabling technologies for unmanned underwater vehicles to identify and operate items in deep ocean environments. These types of government investments are propelling the market in this region. Another key driver is the increasing use of unmanned and autonomous underwater vehicles (UUVs and AUVs) equipped with improved acoustic sensors in monitoring and strategic applications such as surveillance and threat identification. UUVs and AUVs are mostly used for natural undersea resource exploration operations and data collecting in joint monitoring missions.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Drivers

Rising defense spending in several countries is one of the main reasons driving the growth of the Underwater Acoustic Communication market:

Security worries, concerns over contested areas, and threats have resulted in a large increase in global defense spending. UUVs are used by the military for mine countermeasures, fast environmental assessment, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, harbor protection and port clearance operations, and anti-submarine warfare. As a result, UUVs are likely to be employed more frequently in the coming years to combat underwater security risks, resulting in global market growth. The main factor driving the underwater acoustic communication market is the increasing usage of underwater acoustic communication solutions by naval defense systems to enable dependable and safe communication. According to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global military spending will top $2 trillion for the first time in 2021, led by an increase in spending in Asia. China, which spent an estimated $293 billion, and India, which spent $76.6 billion, were the key drivers of development in Asia and Oceania. According to SIPRI, the region's military spending increased by 3.5%, more than Europe (3%), Africa (1.2%, the Middle East (-3.3%), and the Americas (-1.2%). Long-term market growth will also be driven by expected healthy demand for high-speed and dependable homeland security and defense communication. The growing importance of acoustic communication in underwater research initiatives and environmental protection applications opens up new opportunities.

The growing demand for acoustic communication in environmental monitoring is set to positively impact the market growth over time:

The growing importance of acoustic communication in underwater exploration projects and environmental protection applications opens up new possibilities. Acoustic systems are expected to outperform traditional technologies for seabed mapping and data collection, as a warning system for underwater earthquakes and tsunamis, and for monitoring underwater pollution and habitat. Chemical, biological, and nuclear pollution can all be monitored using underwater acoustic sensors. Monitoring ocean currents and winds, improving weather forecasting, detecting climate change, and understanding and predicting the impact of human activities on marine ecosystems are all instances of environmental monitoring. Water quality monitoring is another application of underwater acoustic communication that can have a significant impact on aquaculture management, wastewater treatment, drinking water, and other applications. High-capacity, dependable underwater acoustic networks are expected to be in high demand to support R&D initiatives aimed at addressing difficulties connected to data signal transmission across shallow water zones. Manufacturers' efforts to develop reliable communication solutions for underwater acoustic communication, combined with an increased focus on maritime research and the availability of new solutions with sophisticated functions for enhanced communication within the underwater environment, are expected to significantly boost the market.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Challenges

The presence of a limited frequency band will hamper the market growth:

One of the primary obstacles impeding market growth is the availability of a limited usable frequency range. The frequency-dependent reduction of acoustic signals restricts the communication frequency in water, resulting in low sound speed, low data transmission rate, and shorter delivery time. Such obstacles are impeding the expansion of the underwater acoustic communication market. Due to the obvious high bit error rates, propagation delay, and low bandwidths, underwater acoustic communication networks are also vulnerable to malicious assaults. Acoustic communication channels demand more advanced security methods because they are specifically designed and different. The range of underwater acoustic communication links is defined as very long, long, medium, short, and very short. The bandwidth of a long-range system working over 10-100 km is limited to a few kHz (for a very long distance on the order of 1000 km, the available bandwidth falls below one kHz). A medium-range system working over 1-10 km has a bandwidth of the order of 10 kHz, while more than a hundred kHz of bandwidth may be available only at extremely short ranges below around 100 m. Within this limited bandwidth, the signal is prone to multipath propagation over a channel whose properties change over time and are highly dependent on the transmitter and receiver's location. This is expected to hinder market growth.

Underwater Acoustic Communication Market Landscape

Technology launches, acquisitions, Partnerships and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Underwater Acoustic Communication Market. In 2021, the market of Underwater Acoustic Communication Market share has been fragmented by several companies. Underwater Acoustic Communication Market top 10 companies include:

• Thales Group
• Teledyne Technologies
• Ultra-Electronics
• Kongsberg Gruppen ASA
• L3 Harris
• Sonardyne Int. Ltd
• General Dynamics
• Nortek Group
• Sparton Corp
• Sercel Underwater Acoustic

Recent Developments

• In March 2022, Kongsberg Maritime announced about the launch of its cNODE Mantis –a new addition to the cNODE product range of acoustic modems which introduces the new capability to stream a live video feed for a variety of subsea installation tasks.
• In July 2021, Teledyne Marine announced the launch of its new Ultra Compact Modem (UCM), the smallest acoustic modem ever designed by Teledyne Benthos to address the need for reliable wireless underwater acoustic communications onboard the growing number of autonomous micro vehicles and other subsea instruments.
• In December 2020, Thales announced the launch of BlueScan, a new anti-submarine warfare integrated acoustics system featuring real-time multi-sensor data fusion and analysis of heterogeneous data, that enables operators to master the underwater acoustic situation at every decisive moment. 

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