Web3-Powered Service Provisioning in Cellular Networks using NFT and Self-Sovereign Identity

The rise of internet and data usage highlights the importance of service provisioning for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in expanding their operations and meeting user demands. Implementing scalable and secure authentication and access control mechanisms is crucial for enabling service utilization among eligible users and ensuring the viability of emerging business models. Conventional centralized approaches face limitations such as single-point-of-failure, low scalability, computational overhead, and privacy vulnerabilities. MNOs must explore innovative business models to augment revenue streams and address these challenges. Realizing such models involves automating user contracts with service providers and safeguarding user privacy regarding data sharing with external entities. Blockchain technology offers a transformative avenue for integration within existing MNO infrastructures, providing novel distributed authentication and access control methodologies. We propose a new business model for MNOs and service providers in which an Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) framework handles user access to services on top of Blockchain. Moreover, a tokenized data-sharing method facilitates selective data sharing with service providers through MNO channels based on user-defined permissions. Central to this approach are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) paradigm, where NFTs ensure secure, decentralized tokenization of user data, and SSI empowers users with ownership and control over their data. Assessments confirm the scalability of this solution, making it suitable for different use-case requirements.