Leveraging Distributed Blockchain-based Scheme for Wireless Network Virtualization with Security and QoS Constraints

Abstract

Wireless network virtualization is regarded as an emerging paradigm to enhance RF spectrum utilization to support exponentially increasing demand caused by emerging Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. To create virtual wireless networks (VWNs), there are no automated secure approaches for allocating RF spectrum to meet the dynamically changing quality-of-service (QoS) requirements of the users. In wireless networks, RF spectrum is shared among many users and the given RF spectrum could be easily overcrowded because of the over commitment of limited resources by the service providers. There is a direct incentive in terms of revenue to service providers to have more number of users. In this paper, we propose to leverage a distributed Blockchain - also known as a public ledger - based scheme to create VWNs where primary wireless resource-owners (PWROs) sublease their wireless resources (e.g., slice of RF spectrum, infrastructure) to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) using machine-to-machine communication based on the service level agreements (SLAs) between PWROs and MVNOs. The proposed distributed Blockchain-based scheme provides security to participating PWROs and MVNOs as well as prevents PWROs from over committing their resources (that stops double spending) and helps MVNOs to meet the QoS requirements of their users. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or similar regulatory bodies in other countries participate in this framework by providing the guidelines and regulations about maximum power levels, licensing and geographic coverages, etc. This essentially helps users to meet their desired QoS requirements while complying the government regulations. Performance is evaluated using numerical results.