Abstract

Future 6G scenarios in 2030 envision society that will be data-driven, enabled by near-instant and unlimited wireless connectivity to intelligence. This calls for a multidisciplinary approach and a re-imagining of how we create, deliver and consume network resources, data and services. This development will change the traditional business models and ecosystem roles, as well as open the market for new stakeholders like micro-operators, edge cloud operators and resource brokers. This paper discusses unprecedented challenges of enabling and stimulating multiple stakeholders to have a more active participation in the future 6G ecosystem and gives a brief outline of key implications of blockchain technologies for related business model transformations. The research extends the existing archetypes of closed and supply focused mobile broadband business models and proposes the novel open ecosystem-focused scenario in which value configuration is leveraging distributed ledger technologies. This expands the architecture from centralized innovation and transaction platforms towards decentralization without a focal resource-orchestrating entity. Results showed that blockchain enabled 6G business can be built on novel business opportunities, value generation and competitive advantage that have positive strategic consequences on scalability, replicability and sustainability.