DecentRAN: Decentralized Radio Access Network for 5.5G and beyond. (arXiv:2303.17210v1 [cs.CR])

Radio Access Network faces challenges from privacy and flexible wide area and
local area network access. RAN is limited from providing local service directly
due to centralized design of cellular network and concerns of user privacy and
data security. DecentRAN or Decentralized Radio Access Network offers an
alternative perspective to cope with the emerging demands of 5G Non-public
Network and the hybrid deployment of 5GS and Wi-Fi in the campus network.
Starting from Public key as an Identity, independent mutual authentication
between UE and RAN are made possible in a privacy-preserving manner. With the
introduction of decentralized architecture and network functions using
blockchain and smart contracts, DecentRAN has ability to provide users with
locally managed, end-to-end encrypted 5G NPN and the potential connectivity to
Local Area Network via campus routers. Furthermore, the performance regarding
throughput and latency are discussed, offering the deployment guidance for
DecentRAN.