Blockchain-Enabled Private 5G Networks: A Primer

Private 5G Networks (P5GNs) are a newly emerging paradigm that the telecommunication sector and industry verticals are about to witness. The concept of P5GN is to build a 5G network with just enough infrastructure, which is required to fulfill the specific and local needs of an industry vertical. Broadly, P5GNs offer two-fold benefits. First, it creates new business opportunities for new entrants with small investments, and second, it satisfies the specific need of industry verticals with contextual and location-aware services and content. However, there are numerous challenges like spectrum scarcity, roaming fraud, limited infrastructure, confined coverage, security vulnerabilities, and management of massive small data. Thus, this paper aims to explore various existing challenges and discuss how blockchain technology, in conjunction with smart contracts, can be leveraged to mitigate them. Further, the implementation challenges in rolling out blockchain-enabled solutions are presented with possible solutions to overcome them.