The Hyper Speed Network is the world’s first permissionless blockchain project focusing on applying 5G technology to use cases. HSN is expected to meet the needs of high throughput and serve complex, decentralized, high-performance 5G inter-connectivity, creating environments that will enable the next era of technological innovation, products, and services — the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), Smart Cities, Smart Manufacturing, Cloud VR/AR, and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

Asia Blockchain Review reached out to Hyper Speed Network to discuss laying the groundwork for 5G implementation, the role of blockchain in 5G technology, and the use cases envisaged for HSN.

Asia Blockchain Review: With the 5G mainnet not set to launch for at least a year, what are some of the critical milestones that HSN must achieve between now and then? Do you have any insights regarding the potential shifts in terms of the socio-economic environment, industry advancement, or competitive landscape that would directly impact HSN during that time frame?

Hyper Speed Network: As you can find in our whitepaper, we have set up the following milestones before we launch the mainnet, some of which have already been achieved:

2019 Q3:

• SD-WAN Application Case Release
• Wireless Mesh Network Application Case Release
• Camera + Blockchain Storage Solution Release — Users can access camera data on the blockchain via the HSN Cloud Platform
• IoV + Blockchain Solution Release — Users can access IoV data on the blockchain via the HSN Cloud Platform

2019 Q4

• Release of UAV Ecosystem Application Technology based on HSN Technology
• White Paper 2.0 Release

So far, all initiatives are on track, and we are very confident in achieving all of them before the mainnet is launched. 

Of course, there could be some uncertain, negative factors that may impede our progress, such as any sudden change of the development speed or scale of 5G implementation in China and other parts of the world. But as far as we can see, the possibility is very low.

ABR: For some of our readers who may not know, what are the key differences between 5G technology and the leading technologies being utilized today, including 4G? What are some of the underlying technological advancements that have led to those differences?

HSN: 5G is the fifth-generation mobile phone communication standard, also known as the fifth-generation mobile communication technology, evolving on from 4G. 

The five most significant differences of 5G from previous generations of mobile technologies such as 4G are: 

• High speed. Reduces bit error rate and significantly increases data transmission rate.
• Low latency. Strict control over the sensitivity and greatly reduces network latency.
• High concurrent connections. Higher bandwidth can support up to millions of devices in one square kilometer.
• Low power consumption. For example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices do not require high speed and lowest delay, but they require very low power consumption.
• Low Cost. Compared to 4G, less cost per unit of data transmission.

According to the White Paper on 5G Concept by IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, the technical innovation of 5G comes from massive, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), ultra-dense networking (UDN), novel multiple access, and all-spectrum access — which have already become the focus of the global wireless technologies industry. 

In terms of network technologies, the innovation also comes from a new network architecture based on software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), which is the future standard of the field.

In addition, there are some other critical technologies for 5G, such as F-OFDM, FBMC, full duplex, flexible duplex, D2D, Q-ary LDPC codes, network codes, and polar codes.

On June 6th, 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China officially issued 5G commercial licenses to China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Radio and Television, marking China’s first year of commercial 5G.

ABR: How will blockchain technology be implemented into HSN’s 5G network, and what will be the roles of distributed ledger technologies in the era of 5G networks? From a feasibility standpoint, do you foresee any challenges or limitations to achieving these roles? 

HSN: 5G is the basic infrastructure of the future network. Blockchain is a new framework for business development. The integration of blockchain and 5G is a key research topic for blockchain designers. HSN’s patented hardware and software solution can embed blockchain into the edge devices of a 5G network in the architecture described as follows:

HSN provides an integrated distributed accounting system with seamless 5G access, which includes a complete distributed deployment architecture, smart contract system, security system, and layered consensus mechanism. The system can meet the needs of high-throughput and complex, decentralized, high-performance 5G application scenarios and promote the 5G blockchain business ecosystem.

HSN adopts a layered consensus mechanism consisting of Miner Nodes (PBFT-DPoS consensus mechanism) and Edge Nodes, which not only guarantees the safe operation of the whole HSN ecosystem, but also promotes the flourishing ecology of edge computing and IoT terminals. At the same time, HSN has authentication for the interconnectivity of all things and edge computing applications.

In order to meet the demand for high concurrency and network storage in the 5G environment, HSN chose IPFS as its storage infrastructure. The IPFS network provides support for dynamic, precise, and distributed network storage and can better meet the requirements of 5G content distribution networks (CDNs). Large HSN files are divided into small encrypted blocks, which can be downloaded from multiple servers at the same time. In the object and file layers, most data objects exist in a Merkle DAG structure, and double hashing is used for deduplication, thus realizing flexible support of content addressing and storage deduplication.

On this basis, the HSN network provides a series of application frameworks such as distributed data exchange protocol, distributed process management protocol, etc. Using general API, SDK, and various functional components of applications, HSN can realize convenient development and deployment and support agile development of Internet products.

The highly encapsulated HSN distributed accounting architecture and fast storage structure supporting a large number of concurrent processes allow HSN to meet the needs of complex 5G application scenarios.

The HSN overall deployment architecture is shown in the figure above, in which the 5G network is the infrastructure. Miner Nodes are responsible for executing smart contracts and producing blocks. Edge Nodes are responsible for distributed computing and storage platforms involving smart terminals; they provide big computing and mass storage. The distributed ledger is responsible for core processing, on and off the blockchain.

Since the team has extensive experience in 5G networking equipment development and blockchain design and development, we don’t see any significant limitation or challenge that could stop us from building and deploying the aforementioned structures. Actually, we have made good progress so far, and many parts of them are already ready to be shipped.

ABR: For what use cases or markets does HSN envision it will tailor its technology? If 5G technology is meant to reach ubiquitous usage levels to support the demands of the next generation of advanced products and services, such as the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), what do you see as the most important aspects that must be overcome that the technology has yet to solve? Will interoperability pose a problem in serving HSN’s targeted markets, and if so, how do you propose to overcome this?

HSN: HSN is designed to implement genuine business cases or scenarios, such as:

• Video Streaming

4G technology has promoted the popularity of mobile video. Text and static photos have been replaced with cameras, video blogs, YouTube channels, Facebook Live, Snapchat, TikTok, and other channels of video communication. Now, 5G is the foundation for UHD video. With the expansion of 5G, real-time video streaming will become more popular in mobile applications and social media platforms.
HSN supports video stream uploading to the blockchain under the 5G architecture. HSN transforms video content into hashes and stores it in the HSN network. It supports the replacement of video index variables and storage variables. By using content-based indexing, HSN can upload the video stream to the blockchain and execute smart contracts and intelligent interpretation of mass video and images.

Under the 5G architecture, HSN can support the following video scenarios:

1. Multi-scene camera applications: analysis of 100+ key points to generate detailed information about the gender, age, and clothing of each person; image analysis.
2. Information storage in the HSN network; use of blockchain for accurate and efficient image analysis.
3. All kinds of live video applications and decentralized video copyright protection. HSN disrupts the existing centralized application copyright to truly protect the copyright revenue of original live videos and provide peer-to-peer (P2P) value exchange;
4. Encouraging more terminals to contribute to video storage space and activation of idle video storage resources through the token incentive mechanism.

• IoV & UAV

5G supports direct communication between devices and builds a D2D (Device-to-Device) network. As a result, all kinds of IoT applications will be rapidly popularized, including the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). HSN has unique advantages in big data management, security, transparency, and P2P transactions, which enables collaboration on equipment for autopilots, unmanned vehicles, and in other IoV fields.

HSN can be used in the whole motor vehicle value chain: from supply chain management and vehicle hardware manufacturing to autopilot, vehicle life cycle data tracking, and provision of data for autopilot. It can also save costs and optimize the operating process. After the vehicle data is uploaded to the blockchain through the PoT module, when an accident occurs in the future, HSN will ensure timely data collection via real-time IoT data transmission. HSN will complete financial scenarios such as insurance compensation and second-hand car dealing. In the IoV scenario, HSN supports Self-Sovereign Identity — when an original identification label is stored on HSN, a unique identification label is created. Furthermore, with the help of the programmable logic (smart contract) controller mechanism for devices, blockchains provide an encryption interface for chips, thus ensuring system security in the decentralized environment.

• SD-WAN + NAS

SD-WAN (Software-Defined WAN) is a popular network solution for inter-enterprise, enterprise-branch, and home applications. According to Gartner, by the end of 2019, 30% of enterprises will deploy SD-WAN technology in their branches. The release of 5G will further simplify network connection strategy, e.g. provide high reliability for inter-enterprise video conferencing.

Through SD-WAN + NAS (Network Attached Storage) under the 5G architecture, corporate and family users can use the hyper fusion technology to provide services together. SD-WAN implements 5G data stream encryption and flow control in the application layer, and NAS has been introduced to the HSN network for storage sharing and backup.

In the SD-WAN + NAS application scenario, HSN will provide high-privacy, P2P transactions, simplify trust building, and pave the way for highly autonomous, agile, and simplified applications. HSN is secure and inherently tolerant to faults because it uses public key encryption and timestamps to verify each record or operation. With HSN smart contracts, the authenticity of products or transactions is verified through the public ledger, and regulatory and audit-related risks are reduced. At the same time, a credible mechanism is established on both sides.

• Wireless Mesh Products

Wireless Mesh is an important wireless networking technology in 5G. It is applied for continuous wide-area coverage and ultra-dense network scenarios. Among base stations, it establishes a fast and effective wireless transmission network, improves the coordination ability and efficiency, and reduces the delay of data transmission and signaling interaction.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin believes that an incentivized mesh network is one of the best application cases for blockchain. With the help of token incentives and IoT terminals, HSN can help organizations create a flexible, decentralized, distributed, and self-repairing wireless mesh network, providing higher speeds and broadband than the Internet.

Moreover, it is normally free of charge, therefore it can provide social, amusement, and business services in a quicker, more convenient, and power-efficient way.

As mentioned above, IoV is one of the main applications of the HSN project. The most important aspects of this implementation are cooperation with vehicle manufacturers and edge data computation.

In terms of cooperation with vehicle manufacturers, the HSN project has built strong relationships with major manufacturers in China and has begun to pilot the IoV solution together with these partners.

For edge data computation, since IoV will generate huge amount of data during driving, all the data need to be computed and processed quickly to respond to what happens on the road. Thus, HSN has come out with the idea of Edge Computing. The main idea of edge computing is that the storage, transmission, calculation, and security of data are handed over to Edge Nodes. The HSN network conforms to the edge computing architecture. It can make full use of the node’s computing power, is about to meet the docking requirements for IoT computing and storage devices, and improves the timeliness of the perception-computation-response process in the IoV application. 

In terms of interoperability, it is very important for us to work closely with our partners across various industries to ensure that all the data follows the same protocol between us. So far, we have achieved a lot of results on this front:

• HSN’s subsidiary TenBay IoT signed a strategic cooperation agreement with major computer hardware manufacturer Lenovo. HSN will provide Smart Storage devices and 5G routers.
• TenBay IoT has signed a long-term cooperation agreement on 5G with Quectel Wireless Solutions, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. TenBay IoT will provide Quectel with 5G terminal application products and integrated solutions, to support its high-quality M2M (Machine-to-Machine) networking application. 
• HSN signed with MeiG, which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, to jointly improve mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable, low-latency communication (uRLLC) to create better 5G products and solutions. 
• TenBay IoT, together with Shenzhen JieShun Technology, also listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange, won the bid to create an “Intelligent Scenic Spot Platform” for Lanka county, including 12 software systems such as ticket sales, scenic spot passcards, shop sales, equipment leasing, attendance management, etc.
• TenBay IoT won a bid from Redtea Mobile to provide 4G/5G eSIM solutions.

ABR: When considering the blockchain aspect of the technology, do you feel HSN will be able to break through the triple trade-off known as “the blockchain trilemma?” Which of the three aspects — security, scalability, and decentralization — do you consider to be the most important in order to have a chance at enabling the next wave of tech innovation?

HSN: 5G is based on fiber optic networks, is 10 times faster than the current 4G, and provides lower latency and larger bandwidth. 5G-oriented application scenarios usually have technical requirements for high-performance and low-latency concurrent storage, cooperative networks, and concurrent computing. Management of such a complex ecosystem requires improved computing and storage.

However, the blockchain trilemma has become a key bottleneck for its technological development. At present, consensus, transaction processing, and data throughput of blockchain cannot meet the needs of complex application scenarios. In addition, with the continuous emergence of blockchain platforms and more on-chain terminals, the coexistence of multiple blockchain platforms is inevitable. Cross-chain demand is more urgent in the 5G era.

We take Decentralization as the most key factor of the trilemma and solved it with several patented technologies.

HSN provides an integrated distributed accounting system with seamless 5G access, which includes a complete distributed deployment architecture, smart contract system, security system, and layered consensus mechanism. The system can meet the needs of high-throughput and complex, decentralized, high-performance 5G application scenarios and promote the 5G blockchain business ecosystem.

HSN adopts a Miner (PBFT-DPoS consensus mechanism) and Edge Node layered consensus mechanism, which not only guarantees the safe operation of the whole HSN ecosystem, but also promotes the flourishing ecology of edge computing and IoT terminals. At the same time, HSN has encapsulated and abstracted the underlying complex technology system and heterogeneous system, realized distributed privacy protection, multi-dimensional identity authentication, and supports cross-chain and side-chain interactive mapping. 

HSN innovatively proposes an automatic device authentication technology based on blockchain. Based on session and feature recognition, it realizes automatic device binding request and device authentication via smart contracts and challenge-response communication and supports user-level identity binding. It protects terminal device information from tampering and provides the most basic terminal equipment authentication for the interconnection of all things and edge computing applications.

ABR: A number of HSN’s executive leadership were previously involved as founders of the Waltonchain project. To what extent does their blockchain expertise bring value to HSN? 

HSN: Waltonchain is a strategic partner of HSN. The reason is that HSN has unique advantages in big data management, security, transparency, and peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions, which enables collaboration on equipment for autopilots, unmanned vehicles, and other IoT scenarios, which is also the focus of Waltonchain. 

Some of the founders of Waltonchain have supported the HSN project from the beginning, especially in IoT-oriented development and design. The collaboration between these two projects bring a win-win situation for users of both projects and help to build a comprehensive ecosystem.

ABR: What differences in usage do you expect to see for 5G in European markets vs. Asian markets vs. the rest of the world? To what effect do you see the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) having an impact on this? 

HSN: We have seen clear differences between each market. In Asian markets, people mostly prioritize cost savings. In European markets, people care more about security.

With rapid 5G development globally, it seems Asian markets have progressed faster, especially with the official commercialization of 5G in major Chinese cities. Local providers such as Huawei have already delivered world-class experiences to consumers in China. 

In Europe, we have seen that the trend is starting to pick up. As you mentioned, the GDPR is a very important consideration for all networking equipment and service providers to do business in Europe. This has emphasized the importance of the HSN project for them, since HSN can apply crypto algorithms from blockchain to all information transmitted on a 5G network to avoid any tampering and wiretapping over the channels. These technology features can help 5G providers in Europe to meet the requirements of GDPR more easily. 

ABR: How has the high-profile US-China trade dispute and political maneuvering affected HSN? Do you believe the Huawei ban will lead to differences in usage or impact social and consumer behavior in FVEY nation markets?

HSN: We don’t see any significant impact from trade tensions on the HSN project. 

The temporary Huawei ban in the United States and potential impact in FVEY countries may slow down a little bit of the 5G deployment progress in those areas, since Huawei may have the most mature 5G technology globally, but we still see many countries’ operators signing 5G contracts with other major 5G equipment providers, such as ZTE, Ericsson, etc.

As a public chain technology, we will work closely with all these 5G equipment providers, including Huawei and others, to expand our user base globally, including to the UK and other European countries. Actually, we have good support in Switzerland and have attracted many user populations there already, with great help from our ambassador there. 

ABR: Besides Huawei, who are some of the other key players that will have a significant impact on HSN’s ability to roll out 5G technology to global markets? Who are the biggest stakeholders needed for the successful launch of 5G technology worldwide?

HSN: First, we are not 5G equipment providers who directly provide key 5G equipment to operators. We provide our patented technology solutions to these providers, i.e. our 5G+Blockchain public chain ecosystem. 

Thus, we need to work closely with all these 5G equipment providers, as well as IoV, UAV, and other specific manufacturers and service providers to combine our solution and products (such as edge computing modules) with their products, to bring a comprehensive 5G experience to consumers. 

Although we are not directly targeting the infrastructure, we have collaborated closely with key infrastructure deployment operators, such as China Mobile, Shenzhen JieShun Technology, MeiG, Quectel, Lenovo, etc. to design and develop our solution. They are the biggest stakeholders for us to promote our 5G+Blockchain solution to global users.

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