۱٫ Introduction

۲٫ Spectrum management

۳٫ Benefit of using the blockchain

۴٫ Application scenarios

۵٫ Conclusion

Appendix A. Supplementary data

References

Abstract

The sixth-generation (6G) network must provide performance superior to previous generations to meet the requirements of emerging services and applications, such as multi-gigabit transmission rate, even higher reliability, and sub 1 millisecond latency and ubiquitous connection for the Internet of Everything (IoE). However, with the scarcity of spectrum resources, efficient resource management and sharing are crucial to achieving all these ambitious requirements. One possible technology to achieve all this is the blockchain. Because of its inherent properties, the blockchain has recently gained an important position, which is of great significance to 6G network and other networks. In particular, the integration of the blockchain in 6G will enable the network to monitor and manage resource utilization and sharing efficiently. Hence, in this paper, we discuss the potentials of the blockchain for resource management and sharing in 6G using multiple application scenarios, namely, Internet of things, device-to-device communications, network slicing, and inter-domain blockchain ecosystems.

Introduction

The fifth generation of mobile networks, 5G, is already being commercialized in some parts of the world, with the expectation of addressing limitations of current cellular systems and providing an underlying platform for new services to emerge and thrive [1]. 5G was envisioned to be not only a faster 4G, but also an enabler for several other applications, such as the Internet of Everything (IoE), industry automation, intelligent transportation and remote healthcare, to name a few, by providing ultra-high reliability, latency as low as 1 millisecond, and increased network capacity and data rates [2]. However, despite the emergence of new technologies, such as millimeter waves, massive Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) and the utilization of higher frequency bands, it is clear that 5G will not be able to attend all of these requirements, albeit improving significantly from its predecessors. As such, research has already shifted towards the next generation of mobile networks, 6G [2, 3, 4, 5].