A Blockchain-SDN-Enabled Internet of Vehicles Environment for Fog Computing and 5G Networks

• Published in: IEEE internet of things journal 2020-05, Vol.7 (5), p.4278-4291
• Main Authors: Gao, Jianbin, Obour Agyekum, Kwame Opuni-Boachie, Sifah, Emmanuel Boateng, Acheampong, Kingsley Nketia, Xia, Qi, Du, Xiaojiang, Guizani, Mohsen, Xia, Hu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 5G mobile communication; Blockchain; Cloud computing; Communications systems; Computer simulation; Cryptography; Edge computing; Electronic mail; fifth generation (5G); fog computing; Intelligent transportation systems; Internet; Internet of Things (IoT); Internet of Vehicles; Internet of Vehicles (IoV); Mobile ad hoc networks; Network latency; Software-defined networking; software-defined networks (SDNs); System effectiveness; trust; Trustworthiness; vehicular <italic xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">ad hoc network (VANET); Vehicular ad hoc networks; Wireless networks
• ISSN: 2327-4662; 2327-4662
• DOI: 10.1109/JIOT.2019.2956241

The goal of intelligent transport systems (ITSs) is to enhance the network performance of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). Even though it presents new opportunities to the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) environment, there are some security concerns including the need to establish trust among the connected peers. The fifth-generation (5G) communication system, which provides reliable and low-latency communication services, is seen as the technology to cater for the challenges in VANETs. The incorporation of software-defined networks (SDNs) also ensures an effective network management. However, there should be monitoring and reporting services provided in the IoV. Blockchain, which has decentralization, transparency, and immutability as some of its properties, is designed to ensure trust in networking platforms. In that regard, this article analyzes the combination of blockchain and SDN for the effective operation of the VANET systems in 5G and fog computing paradigms. With managerial responsibilities shared between the blockchain and the SDN, it helps to relieve the pressure off the controller due to the ubiquitous processing that occurs. A trust-based model that curbs malicious activities in the network is also presented. The simulation results substantially guarantee an efficient network performance, while also ensuring that there is trust among the entities.