JultikaUniversity of Oulu repository

Abstract

5G is the latest generation of mobile networks which will be deployed based on network softwarization concept. It will enable Local 5G Operator (L5GO) concept which is one of the most prominent versatile applications of the 5G in the near future. The unique locality features of L5GOs will be useful in many use cases such as smart cities, industrial internet and healthcare. The popularity of L5GOs will trigger more and more number of roaming and offloading opportunities between mobile users. However, existing static and the operator-assisted roaming and offloading procedures are inefficient for L5GO ecosystem. To address these challenges, we propose a blockchain / Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) based service platform for the L5GOs to facilitate efficient roaming and offload services. We introduce several novel features, namely, universal wallet for subscribers, service quality based L5GO rating system, user-initiated roaming process and the roaming fraud prevention system. Blockchain-based smart contract scheme is proposed to establish dynamic and automated agreements between operators. A prototype of the proposed platform is emulated with the Ethereum blockchain platform and Rinkeby Testnet to evaluate the performance and justify the feasibility of the proposal.