Efficient and Trustworthy Authentication in 5G Networks Based on Blockchain

The global coronavirus pandemic is reshaping our daily lives and has forced many people to work and socialize remotely. This trend also increases the demand for highly available and trustworthy Internet access. Compared with 4G networks, 5G mobile networks are designed to accommodate the increasing number of mobile devices with higher transfer speed, lower latency and improved security. The 5G standard in USA uses millimeter waves, which is much shorter than 4G LTE signals. The shorter wavelength means 5G can transfer data much faster than 4G, but it also results in a much shorter travel range. When a user is moving among 5G cells, repeated authentications will increase delay time which contradicts 5G objective. The blockchain technology has the advantage of better transparency, enhanced security and high efficiency. In this paper, we propose an efficient authentication approach for 5G network using blockchain technology to reduce repeated authentications and keep the cost low and practical. We will compare it with some existing protocols and analyze its security against several possible attacks.