BLOCK-6G 2024

1st Workshop on Blockchain-enabled Network Management and Orchestration in 6G Era (BLOCK-6G)
Monday 28 October 2024

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

Submission Deadline: 23 August 2024 6 September 2024
Acceptance Notification: 9 September 2024 20 September 2024
Camera Ready: 16 September 2024 27 September 2024
Workshop Day: 28 October 2024 28 October 2024

All times in Anywhere on Earth (AoE) timezone.

Paper Submission Guideline

Authors are invited to submit original unpublished papers not under review elsewhere. Papers should be submitted in IEEE 2-column format (Style templates can be found here). Maximum paper lengths, including title, abstract, all figures, tables, and references, are 7 pages for regular papers and 4 pages for short papers. Regular paper length could include up to 7 pages including references. Short papers are accepted as well and must not exceed 4 pages including references.

Papers have to be submitted electronically in PDF format through the EDAS conference management system, accessible via this link.

All submitted papers will be peer-reviewed and selected based on their originality, significance, technical soundness, and relevance to the workshop’s theme. For accepted papers, at least one author is expected to register and present the paper in person at the workshop. Accepted and presented papers will be published in the conference proceedings and submitted to IEEE Xplore.

Workshop Chairs

Engin Zeydan, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC), Spain.
Madhusanka Liyanage, University College Dublin, Ireland
Suayb Arslan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
Dilum Bandara, Data61, CSIRO, Australia
An Braeken, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Steering Board

Andrei Gurtov, Linkoping University, Sweden
Salil Kanhere, University of New South Wales, Australia
John Murphy, University College Dublin, Ireland
Raja Jurdak, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Publicity Chairs

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

Edas and Publication Chairs

Pawani Porambage, VTT, Finland
Abdullah Aydeger, Florida Institute of Technology, USA
Tharaka Mawanane Hewa, University of Oulu, Finland

For any questions, please feel free to contact Engin Zeydan (engin.zeydan@ieee.org).

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.