Towards Decentralized Identity Management in Multi-stakeholder 6G Networks

TL;DR

This work addresses the challenge of establishing cross-domain trust in multi-stakeholder 6G networks by proposing a decentralized identity management (IDM) framework based on Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) within a Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) paradigm. It introduces a reference model with three layers—Trust, Agent, and Credential—that leverages a tamper-proof Verifiable Data Registry (VDR) and distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enable TTP-less mutual authentication and VC-based attestation across diverse trust domains. The paper discusses governance options (public, public permissioned, private permissioned DLs), the role of agents and wallets, and the use of DIDComm for secure communication, while accommodating legacy PKI-based systems and interoperability through VCs. It also highlights privacy, regulatory considerations (e.g., GDPR), and practical deployment challenges, outlining future work on 6G-specific DID design, DL selection, governance, and non-functional performance metrics. Overall, the proposed decentralized IDM framework aims to empower cross-domain trust in 6G ecosystems, reduce reliance on centralized authorities, and support flexible, policy-driven interactions among multiple stakeholders such as MNOs, MEC providers, device manufacturers, and service operators.

Abstract

Trust-building mechanisms among network entities of different administrative domains will gain significant importance in 6G because a future mobile network will be operated cooperatively by a variety of different stakeholders rather than by a single mobile network operator. The use of trusted third party issued certificates for initial trust establishment in multi-stakeholder 6G networks is only advisable to a limited extent, as trusted third parties not only represent single point of failures or attacks, but they also cannot guarantee global independence due to national legislation and regulatory or political influence. This article proposes to decentralize identity management in 6G networks to enable secure mutual authentication between network entities of different trust domains without relying on a trusted third party and to empower network entities with the ability to shape and strengthen cross-domain trust relationships by the exchange of verifiable credentials. A reference model for decentralized identity management in 6G is given as an initial guide for the fundamental design of a common identity management system whose operation and governance are distributed equally across multiple trust domains of interconnected and multi-stakeholder 6G ecosystems.

Figures (2)

• Figure 1: DID-based attestation, verification and exchange of credentials.
• Figure 2: 6G Reference Model for Decentralized IDM