Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com

ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect
Available
Procediaonline at Science
Computer www.sciencedirect.com
00 (2022) 000–000
Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
ScienceDirect
Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50

4th
4th International
International Conference
Conference on
on Innovative
Innovative Data
Data Communication
Communication Technology
Technology and
and
Application
Application

The
The Role
Role of
of Smart
Smart Contract
Contract Blockchain
Blockchain in
in 6G
6G Wireless
Wireless
Communication System
Communication System
Hamed
Hamed Taherdoost*
,a
Taherdoost*,a
a
Departments of Arts, Communications and Social Sciences, University Canada West, Vancouver, V6E 1C9, Canada
a
Departments of Arts, Communications and Social Sciences, University Canada West, Vancouver, V6E 1C9, Canada

Abstract
Abstract
The combination of 6G and blockchain can revolutionize innovative applications in future wireless networks. Various
The combination of 6G and blockchain can revolutionize innovative applications in future wireless networks. Various
applications in 6G require a high level of security and privacy that blockchain can award them. In addition, the complex
applications in 6G require a high level of security and privacy that blockchain can award them. In addition, the complex
infrastructure of 6G and the different terms and conditions of different applications need to be guaranteed, where a smart contract
infrastructure of 6G and the different terms and conditions of different applications need to be guaranteed, where a smart contract
can be a good solution. In this paper, we studied the role of smart contract blockchain in 6G network services and applications.
can be a good solution. In this paper, we studied the role of smart contract blockchain in 6G network services and applications.
Smart contracts have a disruptive effect on 6G network infrastructure and applications. The integration and interoperation of
Smart contracts have a disruptive effect on 6G network infrastructure and applications. The integration and interoperation of
blockchain and 6G is an important and foreseeable development in computational wireless communication networks.
blockchain and 6G is an important and foreseeable development in computational wireless communication networks.
© 2023The
2023 TheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier
© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
B.V. B.V.
This isisan
This anopen
openaccess article
access under
article the CC
under theBY-NC-ND
CC BY-NC-ND licenselicense
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Peer-review under
Peer-review underresponsibility of the
responsibility scientific
of the committee
scientific of the of
committee 4th International Conference on Innovative Data Communication
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 4ththe 4th International
International Conference
Conference on Innovative
on Innovative Data Communication
Data Communication
Technologies and
Technologies and Application
Application
Technologies and Application
Keywords: Blockchain; Smart Contract; 6G; Network; Wireless
Keywords: Blockchain; Smart Contract; 6G; Network; Wireless

1. Introduction
1. Introduction
6G wireless communication system is going to nurture wireless systems by introducing an intelligent network, fully
6G wireless communication system is going to nurture wireless systems by introducing an intelligent network, fully
automated and spread all over the air, underwater, ground and space. It is estimated that the mobile traffic in 2030 is
automated and spread all over the air, underwater, ground and space. It is estimated that the mobile traffic in 2030 is
about 5016 Exabytes/month which is the result of emerging applications of 6G [1].
about 5016 Exabytes/month which is the result of emerging applications of 6G [1].

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-236-889-5359.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-236-889-5359.
E-mail address: [email protected]
E-mail address: [email protected]

1877-0509 © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

1877-0509 © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 4th International Conference on Innovative Data Communication
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 4th International Conference on Innovative Data Communication
Technologies and Application
Technologies and Application

1877-0509 © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 4th International Conference on Innovative Data Communication
Technologies and Application
10.1016/j.procs.2022.12.005
 Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50 45
2 Hamed Taherdoost/ Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000

Some novel applications that are going to be more available in 6G are 8k video, industry 4.0, smart healthcare
systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), smart grid, and more advent in the internet of things (IoT) toward the
internet of everything (IoE). In order to provide a reliable and secure network for these diverse applications, the
following requirements should be proposed in 6G network [2-3].
• Data rate: around 1Tb/s
• End-to-end delay: less than 1ms
• Reliability : around 10−9
• Mobility : 1000km/h
Virtualization, softwarization, and cloudification will be more important in 6G, which leads to new kinds of
mobile operators such as local mobile area networks or multi-operator networks. The security and privacy of end-
user in these networks should be guaranteed precisely. In addition, with the development of network slicing
technology, end-to-end control of the system from the network provider to the end-user in various verticals such as
healthcare, media, and entertainment needs some strict terms and conditions, and though strong contracts should be
considered [1-2].
Recent studies have introduced blockchain as a new and disruptive technology in various verticals and industries.
One of the main advantages of blockchain is its possibility to provide an attack-proof network since 51% of systems
should be dedicated to target a blockchain network. Thus, it is an immutable ledger in which all transactions are
decentralized. Some main specifications of blockchain technology are offering distributed ledger, decentralized
networks, transparency, immutability, and irreversibility [3]. Therefore, it is expected to provide better efficiency
and lower cost. Blockchain is recognized to be reliable to serve a large number of users in different fields because of
being immutable [14].
Bitcoin, which is known to be the most famous blockchain technology these days, has revolutionized the financial
market and attracted a lot of attention among people [1]. The smart contract is one innovative part of this technology
that can propose some terms and conditions that are automatically executed by programmable codes [2]. The first
and most famous smart contract is Ethereum which is a remarkable solution for many applications.
In this paper, we present the role of smart contracts in 6G network services such as resource management, network
virtualization, and applications such as smart healthcare, smart grid, and UAVs. It should be noted that researches
on this topic are so limited and since it can revolutionize the way that wireless applications are going to propose
services, more research is required.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section II outlines the blockchain and smart contract architecture,
Sections III provides the role of smart contract in 6G network management, section IV studies the 6G-based services
with the smart contract, and finally the conclusion of the paper is in section V.

Fig. 1. Block Sequences

46 Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50
Hamed Taherdoost / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000 3

2. Blockchain and Smart Contract Architecture

2.1. Blockchain description

Blockchain technology is a distributed ledger network that stores transactional records. Blockchain provides trading
with lower costs and enables to exchange information more securely and agilely [13]. Although in recent years
digitalized ledger has been popular to store records digitally, blockchain defines a distributed way to store the
records by eliminating third-party ownership.
A Blockchain network is a chain of blocks, which produces a sequence. Each block consists of some parts that are
described in the following. The block version indicates some rules to validate the block. Merkle tree hash is a
Hashing method to represent the hash of block data. Preblockhash represents the hash value of the previous block.
The timestamp is the block creation time since 197001-01T00:00 UTC. A nonce is a number, which is varied to
create a unique hash for each block of data and usually starts with zero and finally block data, which consists of
transaction counters and transactions [1]. Figure 1 shows the block sequence and the relationship between blocks.

2.2. Consensus Algorithms

One block can be added to the block sequence if all the users validate it by using a consensus algorithm. Proof of
work (PoW) is the most famous consensus algorithm that is used in the blockchain network. Bitcoin networks use
this algorithm to validate the transaction. However, PoW is not an environment-friendly algorithm, since it needs a
huge amount of computing power to add one block to the network. Hence, other kinds of consensus algorithms like
proof of stake (PoS) are introduced to overcome this burden. Whereas each blockchain use case in one sector
requires different use cases, choosing the best consensus algorithm is so vital [3].

2.3. Smart Contract

N. Szabo first introduced a smart contract in 1997. The idea of a smart contract is to predefine some roles, which are
programmable codes between two participants. The concept of a smart contract is just like a cryptographic box that
just can be opened when some conditions are met [2]. There is no third party or intermediaries in smart contract
hence it is a self-executing code. To be specific if ‘x’ happens, then ‘y’ applies. For ease of understanding Table 1
compares the traditional contracts with smart contracts.

Table 1. Comparison between smart contract and traditional contract [2]

Requirements Smart Contract Traditional contract

Third-party Not required Banks, Regulators
Execution time minutes days
Transparency available Not available
Signature Digital Manual
Process Automatic manual
Achieve easy hard
Security Highly secure limited

The conditions and terms are written with programmable codes and are implemented on the blockchain platform.
Based on these codes, some assets, for example, money, shares, or documents are held in the smart contract until the
contract terms are enforced and then triggered automatically [2].
The characteristic of the smart contract makes the way to empower distributed electronic virtual machines (EVM).
The execution of the smart contract is applied to the node in EVM for progress. Since all the users in the network
have the same blockchain, they have the same results by executing the EVM code when one smart contract applies.
All the results are stored in the blockchain ledger.
However, what happens if the conditions are not met? In this condition, the smart contract will be self-executed, and
compensation will be given to the network users. This is the main advantage of the smart contract. Without the need
for a third party or manual process, compensation is given to the users [4].
 Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50 47
4 Hamed Taherdoost/ Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000

2.4. Blockchain Generation

Blockchain evolution from its first day until today is presented in Fig. 2 [5-7].

Fig. 2. Blockchain Generation

Blockchain 1.0
The first generation of Blockchain was introduced to the world with Bitcoin, which is the most famous digital currency
and the first famous application of blockchain technology. The idea behind blockchain 1.0 is virtual cryptocurrencies,
financial services, and payments.

Blockchain 2.0
The second generation of blockchain technology introduces programmable platforms and applications in different sectors.
Smart contracts and public ledger to keep record was first introduced in this generation. Blockchain 2.0 proposed some
other applications to financial systems beyond cryptocurrencies such as smart property, payment clearing, and banking
instruments.

Blockchain 3.0
The application of blockchain in different sectors such as healthcare, government, industry, technology, and art are
proposed in blockchain 3.0. Improving smart contracts for various decentralized applications is introduced at this level.

Blockchain 4.0
The main target of blockchain 4.0 is to focus on business applications in real-time. Public ledger and distributed database
in real-time have paved the way for seamless application in industry 4 which mitigates the use of paper-based regulation
by using smart contract and consensus algorithms. Although blockchain 4.0 is recognized to be competent in terms of
security concerns; however, there are concerns regarding extracted data through industrial operations [13].

3. Capabilities of Smart Contract in 6G network

The smart contract is an innovative part of blockchain technology to unleash the potential of 6G systems. The
capabilities of smart contracts in different sectors of 6G network systems are discussed in this section.

3.1. Resource Management

Network resource management is the most important part of the 6G network. Massive connectivity of users and diverse
application with different requirements demand intelligent resource management. The role of blockchain and smart
contracts is inevitable. In this part, the usage of smart contracts for spectrum sharing, unlicensed spectrum sharing, and
access fairness are investigated in detail.

Spectrum sharing
Spectrum is the most important resource in the network. With the advent of different services in 6G, this resource is so
limited and should be used efficiently. Sharing spectrum is a solution to make the best use of it. However, it needs an open
48 Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50
Hamed Taherdoost / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000 5

market where every part of the network from the network provider to the end-user could share their spectrum in a market.
In addition, current spectrum sharing is not automatic where the regulator cannot track the usage of spectrum and so unfair
allocation happened. Smart contract is the best solution in this market [8].

Unlicensed Spectrum sharing

Efficient spectrum utilization can happen when both licensed spectrum owners and unlicensed spectrum operators
cooperate. Since the unlicensed spectrum is free and often available, more attention is focused on the 6G. The smart
contract can provide an automated solution for the coordination between mobile network operators to share the unlicensed
spectrum under guaranteed terms and conditions [5].

Access fairness
One of the main advantages of blockchain in resource management is to record its information such as location-based data.
With this history of data, access fairness can be achieved. With a smart contract, access can be given to users who have not
reached the specific threshold [9].

3.2. Network Virtualization

Software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) is one of the fundamental tenets of
6G communication networks. Network virtualization leads the way for network slicing which can give end-to-end
control of the network to service providers. Despite the technical challenges to deploying network slicing, there is
some administrative discussion among parties who do not trust each other. The smart contract is the best way for
these parties to allow the deployment of network slicing [10].

3.3. 6G Multi Operator Network

The 6G fame is a multi-operator network that needs a framework for quasi-real-time spectrum and infrastructure
trading between multiple mobile network operators (MNOs). The key aspect of this framework is the tokenization of
spectrum and infrastructure. It has four main participants, spectrum regulator, spectrum owner, infrastructure owner,
and end-user. Employing service level agreements (SLA) based on smart contract blockchain, users can easily
switch to the network provider with better coverage, quality, or price [11].

3.4. Local Area Mobile Network

The infrastructure of mobile networks is fully centralized nowadays, which makes its deployment and
maintenance so complex and costly. However, with the expensive cost of spectrum licenses local and small mobile
network operators cannot enter the market. Smart contracts can provide a great opportunity to trade spectrum
between local and small operators and nationwide operators. They can buy unused spectrum in special areas or times
from nationwide operators in real-time with smart contract blockchain [9].

3.5. QoS Monitoring

The current SLA for QoS monitoring is not enough trustworthy and cannot guarantee the required QoS
parameters. Otherwise, if SLA and service contracts are deployed based on blockchain technology through a smart
contract it can limit the disputes and provide accountability. The authors in [7], provide a smart contract model to
offer dynamic services for cloud consumers with smart contracts.

3.6. Computing Power & Data Storage Management

Use cases in 6G require a large amount of data and also processing this data needs a huge amount of computing
power. However, these kinds of applications discharge the storage of mobile devices so soon. Blockchain can be the
solution to this problem where people can use others' computing power in exchange for money in a double auction
model. This process can be automated through a smart contract [12].
6 Hamed Taherdoost/ Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000

Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50 49

4. Smart Contract in 6G services

In this section, the application of smart contracts in different 6G-based services is proposed.

4.1. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in 6G

UAVs will play an important role in 6G wireless communication systems as they provide a real-time high data rate
for 6G applications. Since the information that is gathered by UAVs is so interesting for attackers, they are more
vulnerable to jamming attacks. Attackers in jamming attacks generate radio signals to increase interferences
between UAVs and to provide disorder in the communication network. Smart contracts can prevent this unrelated
data to enter the blockchain network [10].

4.2. Internet of Things (IoT) in 6G

IoT which is one of the most applications of 5G is going to pave the way toward the internet of everything (IoE) in
6G. IoE has the goal to connect everything, data, process, and people in an innovative way. Blockchain can provide
direct transactions to ease the connection between participants in the network. As an example, consider a case in
smart home IoT. If the amount of milk is not sufficient in the refrigerator, the smart contract control can directly
order milk from the store and the blockchain can easily confirm the payment. Here we can introduce the blockchain
of things that wants to improve the smartness of things [10]. In addition, smart contracts can automate the obligation
of connection between things, which can provide security and privacy for devices and though enhance the efficiency
of the network [11].

4.3. Smart Health

With the advent of wearable devices in the future generation of mobile networks and the explosive growth of health
data, providing privacy solutions for this data is of high importance. Smart contracts can provide a solution to
provide access to healthcare data with admission from the person [12]. Another important topic in the healthcare
industry is that networks can help to guarantee the authenticity of the drug from production to consumption [15].

4.4. Smart Grid

Distributed energy providers are introduced in the smart grids to provide energy at any time and from any place. 6G
network can provide a real-time wireless network to make a good connection between distributed units. Smart
contracts can provide some roles for decentralized control, energy demands, energy production, and agreements
[10].

4.5. Media and Entertainment

The ultra-low latency of 6G has an important effect on improving media and entertainment services. In addition,
blockchain has a significant effect on the media and entertainment industry. By providing added value to the content
creators and media publishers, it has shifted the economic benefits to the copyright owners.
Each creator can tokenize its creation by smart contract and then its ownership is distributed fairly through the
network. Hence, the royalty payment of each artist is fairly distributed. Also in the gaming industry, gamers can use
cryptocurrencies to trade or exchange assets by using public the blockchain such as Bitcoin [12].
50 Hamed Taherdoost et al. / Procedia Computer Science 215 (2022) 44–50
Hamed Taherdoost / Procedia Computer Science 00 (2022) 000–000 7

5. Limitations and Challenges

Blockchain technology is a new tool with a wide range of potential applications to provide secure transactions that is
employed in many financial and non-financial industries including healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain,
education and entertainment [15-16]. Applications of smart contract in different 6G-based services including UAVs,
IoT [17], smart health, smart grid, media and entertainment industry have been studied; however, it should be noted
that the research on the usage of blockchain in the 6G industry [18] is in its infancy and more studies should be done
in this context.

6. Conclusion

In this paper, the application of blockchain through smart contracts in 6G services has been studied. At first, the
blockchain infrastructure and smart contract structure has been investigated. Then, the smart contract role in
different aspects of the 6G network such as resource management, network virtualization, 6G Multi Operator
Network, local area mobile network, QoS monitoring, and computing Power & Data Storage Management is
discussed. Then, smart contract application in different 6G-based services from UAVs, IoT, smart health, and smart
grid to the media and entertainment industry is considered.

References

[1] Nakamoto, S., A peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Bitcoin. URL: https://bitcoin. org/bitcoin. pdf, 2008. 4.
[2] Mohanta, B.K., S.S. Panda, and D. Jena. An overview of smart contract and use cases in blockchain technology. in 2018 9th International
Conference on Computing, Communication and Networking Technologies (ICCCNT). 2018. IEEE.
[3] Xiao, Y., et al., A survey of distributed consensus protocols for blockchain networks. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 2020.
22(2): p. 1432-1465.
[4] Zheng, Z., et al., An overview on smart contracts: Challenges, advances and platforms. Future Generation Computer Systems, 2020. 105: p.
475-491.
[5] Xu, M., X. Chen, and G. Kou, A systematic review of blockchain. Financial Innovation, 2019. 5(1): p. 1-14.
[6] Syed, T.A., et al., A comparative analysis of blockchain architecture and its applications: Problems and recommendations. IEEE access,
2019. 7: p. 176838-176869.
[7] Bhaskar, P., C.K. Tiwari, and A. Joshi, Blockchain in education management: present and future applications. Interactive Technology and
Smart Education, 2020.
[8] Weiss, M.B., et al., On the application of blockchains to spectrum management. IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and
Networking, 2019. 5(2): p. 193-205.
[9] Maksymyuk, T., et al., Blockchain-empowered framework for decentralized network management in 6G. IEEE Communications Magazine,
2020. 58(9): p. 86-92.
[10] Gupta, R., et al., Blockchain‐assisted secure UAV communication in 6G environment: Architecture, opportunities, and challenges. IET
Communications, 2021. 15(10): p. 1352-1367.
[11] Kouzinopoulos, C.S., et al. Implementing a forms of consent smart contract on an IoT-based blockchain to promote user trust. in 2018
Innovations in Intelligent Systems and Applications (INISTA). 2018. IEEE.
[12] Dutra, A., A. Tumasjan, and I.M. Welpe, Blockchain is changing how media and entertainment companies compete. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 2018. 60(1): p. 39-45.
[13] Sivaganesan, D. Smart Contract Based Industrial Data Preservation on Block Chain. Journal of Ubiquitous Computing and Communication
Technologies (UCCT) 2, no. 01 (2020): 39-47.
[14] Vivekanadam, B. Analysis of Recent Trend and Applications in Block Chain Technology. Journal of ISMAC 2, no. 04 (2020): 200-206.
[15] Taherdoost, H. A Critical Review of Blockchain Acceptance Models—Blockchain Technology Adoption Frameworks and Applications,
Computers, 2022, 11(2), 24.
[16] Taherdoost, H. Neuroscience and Blockchain, Archives in Neurology and Neuroscience, 12(4), 1.
[17] Moosavi, N., and Taherdoost, H. Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT): A Disruptive Integration, 2nd International Conference on
Emerging Technologies andIntelligent Systems (ICETIS 2022), virtual conference, 02 – 03 September 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks
and Systems.
[18] Moosavi, N., and Taherdoost, H. Blockchain-Enabled Network for 6G Wireless Communication Systems, International Conference on
Intelligent Cyber Physical Systems and Internet of Things (ICoICI 2022), 11-12, August 2022, Coimbatore, India, Engineering Cyber-
Physical Systems and Critical Infrastructures.