TCP/IP cannot cope any more with the sheer number of devices and the mobile nature of today’s connectivity

A multi-discipline team of scientists led by Zhongxing Ming, visiting scholar at Princeton University, discussed their blockchain-based advanced TCP/IP Blockcloud during the recent Blockchain Connect Conference in San Jose, CA.

The future of the Internet of Things (IoT) is in peril. “IoT applications are hitting roadblocks due to the obsolete architecture of today’s Internet,” they said. “TCP/IP cannot cope any more with the sheer number of devices and the mobile nature of today’s connectivity.”

“If you look at blockchain, you’ll see the same concern: the underlying protocol,” said Zhongxing Ming. He quoted Vitalik Buterin, one of the godfathers of blockchain, who declared recently, "I don't spend much time watching thousands of different blockchain applications. At this stage, what I think is important is the underlying blockchain protocol."

The traditional Internet, which hasn’t evolved in decades, uses a point-to-point, IP address-based communication model. This is suitable under small-scale and static network conditions, but not for mobile IoT applications where the number of devices is huge and the IP addresses change in real time.

To address this challenge, Blockcloud introduced a service-centric network (SCN). Separating the identity of an IP address from its location semantics, it allows applications to establish connections directly with service names without having to handle complex IP address management. This approach can solve the mobility and scalability problems of existing networks, offering both performance and compatibility with existing IP networks.

However, SCN needs another “leg” to stand on its feet. How to ensure the safety of the services exchanged and how to motivate service providers to offer services on the network? Thus blockchain technology can be used to create an ecosystem that is both safe and profitable for all service providers.