Special issue on blockchain and communication networks

With the boom of new technologies and applications, e.g., Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence, a deluge of devices are being connected to the network, thus generating a large amount of data [1]. Data collection, processing and analysis are essentials to help people gain valuable information, make sensible decisions, and also make devices intelligent. The underlying communication network is thus facing unprecedented challenges. Along with the increase in devices, managing these devices in the existing centralized model will bring significant challenges to the infrastructure construction, maintenance, and management of the communication network. In addition, the current technology/protocol in communication networks cannot adequately ensure the security and privacy of user data, and the use of collected data is beyond the control of the user. Internet users and companies, therefore, are concerned for the privacy of their data, unwilling to provide valuable data for processing and analysis.