Secure Blockchain-Based Resource Trading with Compensation Mechanism for 5G Network Services

In the current era of hyper-connectivity and users with diverse data traffic demands, resource sharing among multiple network operators is inevitable for service provisioning. This type of resource trading is susceptible to challenges like lack of trust between resource providers and fair incentivization of resource trading process. In this paper, we present a blockchain-based secure resource trading mechanism. Users communicate their data traffic needs to the Slice Provider (SP), and the SP broadcasts these to the Resource Providers (RPs). The RPs auction their resources, and the SP selects the RP with the lowest cost. After the trade is finalized, the transaction is recorded in blockchain. If the RP fails to fulfill the trade agreement or the Service Level Agreements (SLAs), it is penalized through a compensation mechanism, and the prices are adjusted as per the availability of resources. The final transaction cost is transferred after the agreed upon resources have been provided to the user. Apart from a compensation mechanism, a reputation system is designed to measure the reliability of RPs. Based on 5th Generation (5G) specifications, the users belong to the following classes: enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). Through simulations and performance evaluations, we demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed framework for fair incentivization of resource sharing process.