Block 6G

1st Workshop on Blockchain-enabled Network Management and Orchestration in 6G Era (BLOCK-6G)

Scope

The advent of the 6G era brings forth unprecedented challenges and opportunities in network management and orchestration. As networks become more complex and diverse, there is a growing need for efficient resource allocation, security, trust, and service delivery. In the 6G era, blockchain technology can play a significant role in enhancing network management and orchestration. Blockchain can provide a decentralized, transparent, and secure platform for managing network resources and orchestration. It enables multiple stakeholders, including network operators, service providers, and end-users, to collaborate and trust the system without relying on a central authority. With blockchain, network resources can be efficiently allocated and shared among multiple entities. Smart contracts, self-executing agreements stored on the blockchain, can automate resource allocation based on predefined rules and current network conditions, enabling dynamic and on-demand resource provisioning. Blockchain's immutability and cryptographic mechanisms enhance security and business confidentiality in network management and orchestration. It helps prevent unauthorized access, tampering, and fraud, ensuring the integrity of network operations and sensitive data. Additionally, blockchain-based smart contracts can facilitate the enforcement of SLAs between different entities involved in network management and orchestration. The automated execution and transparency of smart contracts help in monitoring and enforcing SLA compliance, leading to improved service quality and accountability. Blockchain can also enable micropayments, real-time billing, and settlement in network management and orchestration. It allows for transparent and tamper-proof recording of transactions, facilitating automated and secure billing processes among multiple entities involved in network operations.

In this regard, blockchain technology holds many potential applications and benefits for network management and orchestration in the 6G era, unlocking business and operational value to support common tasks such as data processing, networking, and information storage. BLOCK-6G workshop aims to provide a platform for researchers, industry professionals, and academics to explore the intersection of network management, orchestration, and blockchain technology in the 6G era.

Topics of Interest

We invite original completed and unpublished research contributions that address the theoretical foundations, practical implementations, and novel applications of blockchain in network management and orchestration. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Blockchain-based architectures for network management and orchestration
• Blockchain as a Service (BaaS) for network management
• Decentralized resource allocation and optimization techniques in blockchain-based network management
• Smart contracts for automated service provisioning and SLA enforcement
• Security and privacy mechanisms in blockchain-based network management
• Integration of blockchain with network slicing and virtualization
• Scalability, performance, and consensus mechanisms for blockchain in 6G networks
• Case studies and real-world applications of blockchain in network management and orchestration
• Blockchain-based identity management (e.g. self-sovereign identity and decentralized identifiers) in 6G network management
• Web3.0 services in network management and orchestration
• Blockchain-powered and distributed AI (e.g. federated and swarm learning) in network management

Important Dates

Workshop paper submission: 22 August 2023
Acceptance Notification: 2 September 2022
Camera Ready: 8 September 2022

Paper Submission Guideline

Authors are invited to submit original contributions that have not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Papers should be prepared using the IEEE 2-column conference style and are limited to 7 pages including references.

Papers must be submitted electronically in PDF format through EDAS using this link.

Proceedings

Papers accepted and presented at BLOCK-6G will be submitted for possible inclusion in IEEE Xplore and IFIP Digital Libraries. To be published in the Workshop Proceedings and to be eligible for publication, at least one author of an accepted paper is required to register and present the paper at the workshop. The organizer reserves the right to exclude a paper from distribution after the conference (including its removal from IEEE Xplore) if the paper is not presented at the conference. Depending on the participation and interest of the participating authors, extended version of contents of the workshop will be published as a book chapter in this series [1].

[1] Online: https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals/book-series/intelligent-data-centric-systems-sensor-collected-intelligence, Available: June 2023.

Chairs

Dr. Engin-Zeydan, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), Spain. (Email: engin.zeydan@cttc.cat)
Dr. Madhusanka Liyanage, University College Dublin, Ireland (Email: madhusanka@ucd.ie)
Assoc. Prof. Suayb Arslan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. (Email: sarslan@mit.edu)
Dr. Dilum Bandara, Data61, CSIRO, Australia (Email: dilum.bandara@data61.csiro.au)
Prof. An Braeken, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium (Email: an.braeken@vub.be )

Steering Board

Prof. Andrei Gurtov, Linkoping University, Sweden
Prof. Salil Kanhere, University of New South Wales, Australia
Prof. John Murphy, University College Dublin, Ireland
Prof. Raja Jurdak, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Prof. Bhaskar Krishnamachari, University of Southern California, USA

Publicity Chairs

Dr. Long Cheng, Dublin City University, Ireland
Dr. Luis Blanco, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya, Spain

Edas and Publication Chairs

Dr. Pawani Porambage, VTT, Finland
Dr. Abdullah Aydeger, Florida Institute of Technology, USA

Web Chair

Mr. Tharaka Mawanane Hewa, University of Oulu, Finland

This workshop was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO)—Program UNICO I+D funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 (grants TSI-063000-2021-54 and -55), by European Commission in SPATIAL (Grant no: 101021808) and CONFIDENTIAL-6G (Grant ID. 101096435) and by Science Foundation Ireland in CONNECT phase 2 (Grant no. 13/RC/2077\_P2) projects.