Adoption of Blockchain With 5G Networks for Industrial IoT: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Potential Solutions

Abstract

It has been proven that Internet of Things (IoT) platforms can improve the performance and efficiency of a wide range of processes. With the acceptance of IoT as a major part of the technology of Industry 4.0, the notion of leveraging the Internet in industries to enable automation and reconfigure existing industrial processes has greatly evolved. By introducing smart technology and intelligent processes, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is committed to bringing high operational efficiency, enhanced productivity, and effective management to industrial assets. Despite this, the reliance of IIoT on central architecture presents numerous challenges, including the security and maintenance of smart devices, privacy issues owing to third-party participation, and massive computations conducted by a central entity, all of which prevent its widespread adoption in businesses. Emerging blockchain technologies have the potential to transform IIoT platforms and applications. A distributed and decentralized approach followed by blockchain might offer interesting solutions to the challenges raised by IIoT. Furthermore, 5G networks are expected to deliver excellent solutions to meet the demands of decentralized systems, with a focus on application-specific vulnerabilities. Blockchain and IIoT, enabled by 5G, is a viable option to fully explore the potential of contemporary industry. In this context, this article analyzes and examines recent achievements to highlight the major obstacles in blockchain-IIoT convergence and presents a framework for potential solutions. Directions for the future are also provided and intend to assist researchers in understanding the full potential of these innovations.

Internet of Things (IoT) Security With Blockchain Technology: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…The cross-chain platform solution allows different nodes to interconnect with each other, for example, smart production units, manufacturing systems, supply chain management, and monitoring ecosystems. However, by this adaptation, the solution can provide a more efficient and effective industrial environment that supports and manage a secure service deliverance of industrial things-enabled transactions in a better manner in the distributed network infrastructure [92]. A single node of this designed platform, and various distinct nodes of other chains direct interact, communicate, exchange, and manage transactions in a secure preservation channel, and conduct meaningful nodes activities in the industrial environment.…”

“…In this context, the IIoT ecosystem analysis every perspective of industrial things involved in the domain. There is a various range of data generation and processing that contributes to a lack of standardization in every channel of IoT because no standard protocols are established and yet not to be presented [92,93]. However, the process layer of IIoT from data generation, capturing, and examination to documenting individual records are less reliable.…”

Key Challenges and Emerging Technologies in Industrial IoT Architectures: A Review

“…Hazra et al in [ 20 ] also review reference architectures and present a state-of-the-art survey on standards, protocols, and technologies addressing the interoperability issues in IIoT. The researchers in [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] review the proposed IIoT architectures, provide insights on how they are addressing the challenges, and highlight the features of some emerging technologies. The related works in the literature lack in classifying the relationship between the main IIoT requirements and the emerging technologies and providing transitional information on why there is even a need for the proposed architectures in the presence of reference architectures.…”