In an interview published on the Chinese news portal, Cebnet, Jiang Wei explained that the blockchain technology has significant use cases that can improve the 5G mobile network. According to China Telecom, China’s 5G services are expected to have approximately 170 million subscribers by the end of this year alone. The chairman further explained that China Telecom expects blockchain technology to play a significant role in trusted management and efficient collaboration among multiple participants of the network and devices.
Wei claims blockchain in 5G will introduce social capital in the 5G landscape.
Wei stated that utilizing blockchain in the 5G mobile network will introduce social capital in the 5G landscape. He further claimed that this would help the industry crowdsource the 5G infrastructure. China Telecom Blockchain and Digital Economy Joint Laboratory are also experimenting with the blockchain technology to improve international roaming services. Jiang Wei sees blockchain as a way to eliminate the need for third-parties. If the chairman is correct, then blockchain could make related services more seamless and convenient.
“Several issues need to be dealt with blockchain.”
The chairman of China Telecom said that before they could see an efficient integration of blockchain and the 5G mobile network, there are multiple concerns that need to be dealt with blockchain technology. According to Wei, legality and security reasons for smart contracts are a significant concern that would need addressing before integrating the technology. He further explained that “in addition to the design perspective, smart contracts cannot be repaired or upgraded.
And that is why 5G smart contracts need to formulate standardized solutions for bug fixes and updates. Scalability and interoperability are two other hurdles that hinder the integration of blockchain technology with the 5G mobile network. Wei believes if there is proper cooperation and experimentation by the global institutes than the integration between these two technologies is possible, which would then lead to better communications services around the world.
