Methods and systems for blockchain smart contract in Hotspot 2.0 network for user authentication while roaming
Methods and systems of user authentication for roaming access to a wireless communications network, using blockchain, is described. A wireless access point (WAP) can provide roaming connectivity to a Wi-Fi network for a mobile device, for example at a public hotspot. The disclosed WAP is blockchain-enabled, allowing connectivity to a blockchain network. Accordingly, when a WAP receives a connection request to the Wi-Fi network, the WAP can execute a smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether a user of the mobile device is authenticated for roaming access to the Wi-Fi network. In some cases, the smart contract verifies that service providers of the mobile device and the Wi-Fi network have a roaming agreement. Also, the smart contact can verify that the user is authenticated by the service provider of the mobile device. In some cases, the WAP device functions in accordance with a Hotspot 2.0 (HS2) networking standard.
1. A method for user authentication at a roaming communications network using blockchain, comprising:
receiving, by an access point of the roaming communications network, a request to connect to the roaming communications network;
accessing, by the access point, a smart contract in the blockchain via a blockchain network;
executing the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether the user is authenticated for approval to access the roaming communications network;
determining that the user is authenticated for approval to access the roaming communications network;
updating a distributed ledger in the Blockchain associated with the roaming communications network with authentication data associated with the user;
approving the request to connect to the roaming communications network; and
connecting, by the access point, the user to the roaming communications networks;
wherein executing the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether the user is authenticated for approval to access the roaming communications network comprises analyzing the smart contract to determine that the user is authenticated by a home communications network associated with the user and analyzing the smart contract to determine that the roaming communications network has an agreement with the home communications network associated with the user to allow access to the roaming communications network via the access point.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the smart contract to determine that the user is authenticated by a home communications network associated with the user comprises:
obtaining verification from the home communications network using the blockchain to determine that the user is an authenticated user of the home communications network.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the smart contract to determine that the roaming communications network has an agreement with the home communications network associated with the user comprises:
obtaining verification from the roaming communications network using the blockchain that the agreement with the home network is approved.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the agreement is deployed as the smart contract in the blockchain.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the roaming communications network is a Wi-Fi network.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the connection to the Wi-Fi network is established in accordance with a Hotspot 2.0 (HS2) networking standard.
7. The method of claim 1 , including updating the blockchain ledger in the blockchain associated with the home communications network with the authentication data associated with the user.
8. A wireless access point (WAP) device, comprising:
connectivity to a blockchain network;
connectivity to a Wi-Fi network associated with a first service provider;
a processor; and a
storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the WAP device to:
receive a request from a mobile device to connect to the Wi-Fi network, wherein the mobile device is associated with a second service provider different from the first service provider;
access a smart contract in a blockchain via the blockchain network;
execute the smart contract in the blockchain to determine that a user of the mobile device is authenticated by the second service provider;
execute the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether a user of the mobile device is authenticated for approval of roaming access to the Wi-Fi network;
if it is determined that the user of the mobile device is authenticated for the roaming access to the Wi-Fi network, approve the request to connect to the Wi-Fi network;
update a distributed ledger in the Blockchain at the WAP with authentication data associated with the user; and
connect the mobile device to the Wi-Fi network;
wherein the instructions to execute the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether the user of the mobile device is authenticated for approval comprises instructions, that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute the smart contract to determine that the first service provider has an agreement with the second service provider to allow the roaming access to the Wi-Fi network via the WAP.
9. The WAP of claim 8 , executing further instructions by the processor, causing the WAP device to:
obtain verification from the second service provider using the blockchain to determine that the user of the mobile device is an authenticated user of the second service provider.
10. The WAP of claim 8 , executing further instructions by the processor, causing the WAP device to:
obtain verification from the first service provider using the blockchain that the agreement with the second service provider is approved.
11. The WAP of claim 10 , wherein the agreement is deployed as the smart contract in the blockchain.
12. The WAP of claim 11 , wherein connecting to the Wi-Fi network is performed in accordance with a Hotspot 2.0 (HS2) networking standard.
13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processor of a blockchain-enabled hotspot 2.0 access point (AP), the instructions programming the processor to:
receive a request from a mobile device to connect to a Wi-Fi network;
access a smart contract in a blockchain via a blockchain network;
execute the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether a user of the mobile device is authenticated for approval of roaming access to the Wi-Fi network;
if it is determined that the user of the mobile device is authenticated for the roaming access to the Wi-Fi network, approving the request to connect to the Wi-Fi network;
update a distributed ledger in the blockchain associated with the Wi-Fi network with authentication data associated with the user; and
connect the mobile device to the Wi-Fi network;
wherein the instructions to execute the smart contract in the blockchain to determine whether the user of the mobile device is authenticated for approval of the roaming access to the Wi-Fi network comprises instructions executable by the processor to analyze the smart contract to determine that the user is authenticated by a service provider of the mobile device and instructions executable by the processor to obtain verification from the service provider using the blockchain to determine that the user is an authenticated user of the service provider.