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High altitude platform station (HAPS) systems have recently attracted renewed attention. While terrestrial and satellite technologies are well established for providing connectivity services, they face certain shortcomings and challenges, which could be addressed by complementing them with HAPS systems. In this article, we envision a HAPS as a super macro base station, to which we refer as HAPS-SMBS, to provide connectivity in a plethora of applications. Unlike a conventional HAPS, which targets broad coverage for remote areas or disaster recovery, we envision next-generation HAPS-SMBS to have the necessary capabilities to address the high capacity, low latency, and computing requirements, especially for highly populated metropolitan areas. This article focuses mainly on the potential opportunities, target use cases, and challenges that we expect to be associated with the design and implementation of the HAPS-SMBS-based future wireless access architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humanity shares the need for Internet access. However, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that only 63 percent of the world's population is connected in 2021. The emerging low Earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellation networks, planned to be composed of thousands of satellites, have the potential to connect all through their global footprint and bridge this ever-existing digital divide. Supported by more cost-effective launch systems and reconfigurable software architectures, the capabilities of new LEO satellites are significantly higher than traditional satellites. Moreover, these mega-constellations can provide services not only to sparsely populated areas but also to urban centers to enable and maintain their economic sustainability. However, the provision of access equality would still require architectural, management, and operational changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging low Earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellations are an important means to free access to communication. Copper and fiber landlines can be blocked to stop people's access to resources. However, as long as there is access to the atmosphere, LEO constellations will be accessible. This role of mega-constellations has become apparent since the publication of Part I of our Feature Topic (FT) in the April 2022 issue. Despite social, economic, and political circumstances, current mega-constellations enduring jamming attacks also prove their critical role as communication enablers. Part II of this FT on access equality solutions in LEO mega-constellations focuses on their additional benefits, the integration with the terrestrial networks, support for naval logistics, and position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of localization systems in our daily lives is increasing. As next-generation networks will introduce hyper-connectivity with emerging applications, this impact will undoubtedly further increase, proliferating the importance of location information's reliability. As society becomes more dependent on this information in terms of products and services, security solutions will have to be enriched to provide countermeasures sufficiently advanced to ever-evolving threats, forcing the joint design of communication and localization systems. This article envisions integrated communication and localization systems by focusing on localization security. Also, conventional and next-generation attacks on localization are discussed along with an efficient attack detection method and a testbed-based demonstration, highlighting the need for effective countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User-centric and low-latency communications can be enabled not only by small cells but also through ubiquitous connectivity. Recently, the vertical heterogeneous network (V-HetNet) architecture has been proposed to backhaul/fronthaul a large number of small cells. Like an orchestra, the V-HetNet is a polyphony of different communication ensembles, including geostationary Earth orbit and low Earth orbit satellites (e.g., CubeSats), and networked flying platforms along with terrestrial communication links. In this study, we propose terahertz (THz) communications to enable the elements of V-HetNets to function in harmony. As THz links offer large bandwidth, leading to ultra-high data rates, it is suitable for backhauling and fronthauling small cells. Furthermore, THz communications can support numerous applications from inter-satellite links to in-vivo nanonetworks. However, to savor this harmony, we need accurate channel models. In this article, the insights obtained through our measurement campaigns are highlighted to reveal the true potential of THz communications in V-HetNets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]