Blockchain for Mobile Networks
Xavier Costa‐Pérez, Vincenzo Sciancalepore, Lanfranco Zanzi, Antonio Albanese · Blockchains · 2023
With the advent of revolutionary technologies, such as virtualization and softwarization, a novel concept for 5G networks and beyond has been unveiled: Network Slicing. Initially driven by the research community, standardization bodies as 3GPP have embraced it as a promising solution to revolutionize the traditional mobile telecommunication market by enabling new business models opportunities. Network Slicing is envisioned to open up the telecom market to new players such as Industry Verticals, e.g. automotive, smart factories, and e-health. Given the large number of potential new business players interacting with the mobile infrastructure, dubbed as network tenants, novel solutions are required to interface the mobile ecosystem with business markets traditionally alien with the telecommunication industry. In this context, the Blockchain technology can aid in the development of such new business models allowing to overcome traditional contractual deals in favor of more dynamic solutions able to accommodate strict temporal market requirements. At the same time, thanks to its distributed approach, the blockchain technology avoids the need for centralized entities managing and controlling the overall resource exchange, finally ensuring higher automation capabilities, scalability, transparency, and cost savings along the process.