Blockchain-Enabled Credible Multi-Operator Spectrum Sharing in UAV Communication Systems

Abstract

With the continuous advancement of the Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) communication industry, the efficient allocation of scarce spectrum resources to UAVs has become a pressing issue. Given the unique nature of UAVs and the broadcast nature of wireless channels, there are significant instances of unregulated flight operations and malicious attacks, making it essential to ensure the security and fairness of spectrum allocation. The previous work on spectrum sharing schemes seldom considers UAV communication scenarios and fails to consider the transaction environment. This paper employs combinatorial auctions and Stackelberg games to study spectrum trading between multiple base stations (BSs) and UAVs to address these issues. A dynamic, demand-driven spectrum trading model is proposed that accounts for UAVs' flexibility and evolving spectrum needs, maximizing utility for both UAVs and BSs. Subsequently, a blockchain-based spectrum sharing framework is designed, in which the blockchain is made public to trading participants to uphold decentralization. It reflects transactional fairness and reliability through mutual evaluations between the blockchain management platform and trading participants. To simulate a realistic trading environment, we consider specific attack scenarios to assess the credibility guarantee of spectrum trading under blockchain. The simulation results validate the effectiveness of the blockchain-based spectrum trading scheme, enhancing spectrum utilization, ensuring the utility of all entities involved, and maintaining the reliability of the trading process.