The Role of Blockchain in 6G: Challenges, Opportunities and Research Directions

TLDR

The emerging intelligent information era demands ultra‑high data rates and massive traffic for future applications such as VR, holographic communications, and mMTC, challenging current telecom infrastructure. This study investigates how blockchain can mitigate 6G challenges, unlock application opportunities, and chart future research directions. Blockchain and distributed ledger technology are positioned as disruptive enablers that can overcome existing limitations and support the functional standards of 6G.

Abstract

The world is going through a fundamental transformation with the emergence of the intelligent information era. The key domains linked with human life such as healthcare, transport, entertainment, and smart cities are expected to elevate the quality of service with high-end user experience. Therefore, the telecommunication infrastructure has to meet unprecedented service level requirements such as ultra high data rates and traffic volume for the prominent future applications such as Virtual Reality (VR), holographic communications, and massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). There are significant challenges identifiable in the communication context to match the envisaged demand surge. The blockchain and distributed ledger technology is one of the most disruptive technology enablers to address most of the current limitations and facilitate the functional standards of 6G. In this work, we explore the role of blockchain to address formidable challenges in 6G, future application opportunities and potential research directions.