A Blockchain-Based Network Slice Broker for 5G Services (original) (raw)

A Proposal on How to Use Blockchain to Secure Communications in 5G Ecosystem

International Journal of Future Computer and Communication

5G provides businesses with high-speed Internet access, faster bandwidth, and low latency. The use of IoT and 5G-enabled sensors provides new opportunities within networks. There are several use cases of 5G with IoT health care, agriculture, remote learning, logistics, manufacturing, government, and retail. However, some security and privacy problems must be addressed within the 5G ecosystem. There is a need to secure user and device associations and data integrity as 5G is becoming more and more popular. In this research-in-progress, we seek to solve security and privacy problems in 5G by applying Blockchain technology to secure 5G connections. The research will consist of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Illinois State University (ISU) and non-academic-industry partners. During the study, we build a prototype that solves problems in agriculture and healthcare. A private 5G network is installed at ISU. Moisture sensors and IoT devices are installed at the university fa...

Blockchain-based Decentralized Service Provisioning in Local 6G Mobile Networks

Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems, 2021

The paper presents a novel vision on the application of blockchain technology to empower the dynamic service provisioning in future 6G mobile networks. We propose a platform for decentralized service level agreement (SLA) negotiation between users and mobile network operators (MNOs) based on smart contracts and cryptocurrencies. In addition, the new quality of experience (QoE) model is proposed for end-users to customize their trade-off between SLA and service price. Finally, we develop the method of dynamic service selection among multiple MNOs that provides border-less connectivity for end-users with the guaranteed QoE regardless of the serving MNO. CCS CONCEPTS • Networks → Network management; Network design principles; • Human-centered computing → Ubiquitous and mobile devices; • Security and privacy → Cryptography.

Blockchain-enabled Network Sharing for O-RAN in 5G and Beyond

2021

The innovation provided by network virtualization in 5G, together with standardization and openness boosted by the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Alliance, has paved the way to a collaborative future in cellular systems, driven by flexible network sharing. Such advents are expected to attract new players like content providers and verticals, increasing competitiveness in the telecom market. However, scalability and trust issues are expected to arise, given the criticality of ownership traceability and resource exchanging in a sharing ecosystem. To address that, we propose integrating blockchain technology for enabling mobile operators and other players to exchange RAN resources (e.g., infrastructure) in the form of virtual network functions (VNF) autonomously and dynamically. Blockchain will provide automation, robustness, trustworthiness, and reliability to mobile networks, thus bringing confidence to open RAN environments. In particular, we define a novel O-RAN-based blockchain...

Impact of Blockchain in 5G

International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET), 2022

People have grown socially dependent on the internet as a result of its tremendous convenience and increased influence. Fifth-generation wireless networks, or 5G, are a game-changing technology standard in mobile telecommunications that promises to be 20Gbps faster than current 4G technology. One of the main goals of 5g internet is to I deliver higher multi-Gbps peak data speeds, (ii) ultra low latency, (iii) more reliability, (iv) massive network capacity, (v) increased availability, (vi) higher performance, and (vii) improved efficiency. 5g (Fifth-generation wireless networks) is the most recent iteration of cellular technology. The blockchain technology, on the other hand, is one of the contentious technological enablers that addresses the majority of the present restrictions and offers the functional standards for 5G. Making the best possible use of the tools and resources at hand is essential for creating smart cities. In this paper, we first examine how blockchain might help to solve the difficult problems posed by 5G, and then we discuss potential future applications and research possibilities. I. INTRODUCTION Blockchain is a decentralized, unchangeable database that makes it easier to record and track commercial transactions [1]. A distributed ledger is a specific kind of blockchain. DLT, or distributed ledger technology, enables the sharing of records among numerous computers, or "nodes." A node can be any blockchain user, but it requires a lot of computing power to run. Nodes store data in the ledger and check, authorize, and save it. This contrasts with conventional record-keeping techniques, which preserve data in a single location, such a computer server [2]. Two research scientist, W. Scott Stornetta and Stuart Haber discussed about the blockchain technology first time in 1991. To ensure that digital documents could not be altered or retroactively time-stamped, they sought to provide a computationally feasible approach [3]. Researchers have suggested using blockchain to solve the problems with 5G since it can provide transparency, data reliability, trustworthiness, and immutability in a distributed setting [4]. By providing data provenance, authenticity, accountability, immutability, and non-repudiation for every user, blockchain enables users of 5G IoT networks to connect and transact (save and retrieve data) [5]. Fifth-generation wireless technology, also known as 5G, has now supplanted 4G in the wireless technology race due to an exponential rise in customer demand [6]. In intelligent networked communication environments, the fifth generation of mobile technology, or 5G, connects people, things, data, apps, transportation systems, and cities. The networks analyze extraordinarily high volumes of data with little lag time, reliably connect a very large number of devices, and transfer enormous amounts of data much more quickly [7]. II. LITERATURE REVIEW This section classifies some of the researchers with their concepts and achievements. 1) Blockchain for 5G: Opportunities and Challenges: Abdulla Chaer, Khaled salah, Claudio lima, Partha Pratim Ray, Tarek Sheltami, 2019. In this research paper, they highlighted decentralized storage of 5g and their services, opportunities which support smart contract elements to develop security, trusted oracle and ecosystem.

BEAT: Blockchain-Enabled Accountable and Transparent Network Sharing in 6G

2021

Infrastructure sharing is a widely discussed and implemented approach and is successfully adopted in telecommunications networks today. In practice, it is implemented through prior negotiated Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between the parties involved. However, it is recognised that these agreements are difficult to negotiate, monitor and enforce. For future 6G networks, resource and infrastructure sharing is expected to play an even greater role. It will be a crucial technique for reducing overall infrastructure costs and increasing operational efficiencies for operators. More efficient SLA mechanisms are thus crucial to the success of future networks. In this work, we present "BEAT", an automated, transparent and accountable end-to-end architecture for network sharing based on blockchain and smart contracts. This work focuses on a particular type of blockchain, Permissioned Distributed Ledger (PDL), due to its permissioned nature allowing for industry-compliant SLAs wit...

Secure Spectrum and Resource Sharing for 5G Networks using a Blockchain- based Decentralized Trusted Computing Platform

2021

The 5G network would fuel next-gen, bandwidth-heavy technologies such as automation, IoT, and AI on the factory floor. It will improve efficiency by powering AR overlays in workflows, as well as ensure safer practices and reduce the number of defects through predictive analytics and real-time detection of damage. The Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) in 5G networks will permit 5G NR and 4G LTE to coexist and will provide cost-effective and efficient solutions that enable a smooth transition from 4G to 5G. However, this increases the attack surface in the 5G networks. To the best of our knowledge, none of the current works introduces a real-time secure spectrum-sharing mechanism for 5G networks to defend spectrum resources and applications. This paper aims to propose a Blockchain-based Decentralized Trusted Computing Platform (BTCP) to self-protect large-scale 5G spectrum resources against cyberattacks in a timely, dynamic, and accurate way. Furthermore, the platform provides a decentralized, trusted, and non-repudiating platform to enable secure spectrum sharing and data exchange between the 5G spectrum resources Experienced Technical Advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the Intelligence community and military industry.

BEAT: Blockchain-Enabled Accountable and Transparent Infrastructure Sharing in 6G and Beyond

IEEE Access, 2022

It is widely expected that future networks of 6G and beyond will substantially improve on 5G. Technologies such as Internet of Skills and Industry 4.0 will become stable and viable, as a direct consequence of networks that offer sustained and reliable mobile performance levels. The primary challenges for future technologies are not just low-latency and high-bandwidth. The more critical problem Mobile Service Providers (MSPs) will face will be in balancing the inflated demands of network connections and customers' trust in the network service. That is, being able to interconnect billions of unique devices while adhering to the agreed terms of Service Level Agreements (SLAs). To meet these targets, it is self-evident that MSPs cannot operate in a solitary environment. They must enable cooperation among themselves in a manner that ensures trust, both between themselves as well as with customers. In this study, we present the BEAT (Blockchain-Enabled Accountable and Transparent) Infrastructure Sharing architecture. BEAT exploits the inherent properties of permissioned type of distributed ledger technology (i.e., permissioned distributed ledgers) to deliver on accountability and transparency metrics whenever infrastructure needs to be shared between providers. We also propose a lightweight method that enables device-level accountability. BEAT has been designed to be deployable directly as only minor software upgrades to network devices such as routers. Our simulations on a resource-limited device show that BEAT adds only a few seconds of overhead processing time-with the latest state-of-the-art network devices, we can reasonably anticipate much lower overheads. INDEX TERMS Infrastructure sharing, smart contracts, permissioned distributed ledgers.

On the Performance of Blockchain-enabled RAN-as-a-service in Beyond 5G Networks

ArXiv, 2021

Blockchain (BC) technology can revolutionize the future of communications by enabling decentralized and open sharing networks. In this paper, we propose the application of BC to facilitate Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other players such as Verticals or Over-The-Top (OTT) service providers to exchange Radio Access Network (RAN) resources (e.g., infrastructure, spectrum) in a secure, flexible and autonomous manner. In particular, we propose a BC-enabled reverse auction mechanism for RAN sharing and dynamic users’ service provision in Beyond 5G networks, and we analyze its potential advantages with respect to current service provisioning and RAN sharing schemes. Moreover, we study the delay and overheads incurred by the BC in the whole process, when running over both wireless and wired interfaces.

Blockchain-enabled resource management and sharing for 6G communications

Digital Communications and Networks, 2020

The sixth generation (6G) network must provide performance superior to previous generations in order to meet the requirements of emerging services and applications, such as multi-gigabit transmission rate, even higher reliability, sub 1 millisecond latency and ubiquitous connection for Internet of Everything. However, with the scarcity of spectrum resources, efficient resource management and sharing is crucial to achieve all these ambitious requirements. One possible technology to enable all of this is blockchain, which has recently gained significance and will be of paramount importance to 6G networks and beyond due to its inherent properties. In particular, the integration of blockchain in 6G will enable the network to monitor and manage resource utilization and sharing efficiently. Hence, in this article, we discuss the potentials of blockchain for resource management and sharing in 6G using multiple application scenarios namely, Internet of things, device-to-device communications, network slicing, and inter-domain blockchain ecosystems.