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In this article, we highlight a novel solution for densifying 5G access networks. Taking benefits from local actors and prosumers, our proposal allows offering a better connectivity to end-users in a model involving network operators and a crowd of local actors. We show that building a multi-actors and densified access network infrastructure has become possible in a distributed way. Incumbent actors with a large footprint act as trusted partners securing the infrastructure and providing guarantees, while the crowd of local actors deploys multiple access points and are rewarded for their contribution. Rewarding is possible thanks to a distributed Bandwidth & Identity ledger along with a Proof of Bandwidth (PoB) mechanism. This article presents the main principles of this new connectivity platform, BALAdIN (Bandwidth Ledger AccountIng Networks), which relies on a consortium blockchain with access control mechanisms removing communitarian Wifi and ad hoc networks drawbacks. Indeed, combining distributed ledgers and edge networks allows local actors to cooperate with trusted parties, which leverages the full potential of multi-actors access networks.

Abstract. IoT, Internet of Things, is a major revolution dragging along new requirements that impact the network & IT infrastructure under development. Actually, the network infrastructure is evolving to embed virtualization techniques to gain in flexibility. For this purpose, new architectures are drawn-up such as the one proposed by the ETSI NFV. In this article, we first highlight a new business model: the IoT store. We then show how it benefits from the network & IT infrastructure services. After presenting the main actors of this business model, we actually provide the overview of an NFV-based architecture that fulfills new IoT requirements. We thus show that the move towards a network & IT infrastructure benefiting of Cloud and virtualization solutions can highly serve the IoT deployment.

International audienceThe deployment of heterogeneous radio networks and the deployment of Unicast Internet Protocol IP/Multicast IP architectures can impact the quality of services received by the users. The authors think that they will accept these quality variations if they have the possibility to choose the radio network and the transmission mode, multicast versus unicast. But, when choosing a radio network or a transmission mode, the choices of the users can be opposed to the choices of the operators managing the networks. To overcome this drawback, the authors defined a method allowing the users, the operators managing the networks and the service providers to cooperate in the selection process