B-RAN Sim

Demands for secure, ubiquitous, and always-available connectivity have been identified as the pillar design parameters of the next generation RANs.  Motivated by this, we introduce a network architecture that leverages blockchain technologies to augment security in RANs, while enabling dynamic coverage expansion through the use of intermediate commercial or private wireless nodes. The proposed architecture not only improves dynamic coverage, but also exhibits scalability in terms of transaction volume per block; thus, increasing its flexibility in real-world scenarios.

Taking advantage of Markov-chain based modelling, the performance of the system was quantified in terms of latency and security by taking into account a plethora of design parameters. Moreover, we applied the proposed framework in three usage scenarios, namely fronthaul network of fixed topology, advanced coverage expansion, and advanced connectivity of mobile nodes, which highlight its scalability through hierarchical deployment. Numerical result verified the improved latency and flexibility without sacrificing security and resilience; therefore, demonstrating how much blockchain integration in future RAN systems increases dependability and performance.

Additionally, we explore the particularities of this attack and attempted to encapsulate how it can impact the procedures of B-RAN ultimately affecting its security and reliability. The probability of a successful alternative history attack can be influenced by the attacker's relative mining rate, the design decision of the blockchain, and the attacker's strategy. The successful attack probability is evaluated and it is highlighted that successfully mitigating the risk of intrusions requires a grasp and effective management of the aforementioned variables.