Enhancing Node Reliability in Opportunistic Networks through Blockchain Integration

In challenging environments or low network resource areas, peer-to-peer payments face significant hurdles due to unreliable connectivity and limited infrastructure. Leveraging the integration of opportunistic networks and blockchain, this paper presents a novel approach to enhance node reliability and ensure transparency in transaction processing even in areas with limited network conditions. This method aims to ensure the resilience and efficiency of opportunistic network by integrating a sharding-based blockchain technology. Our approach securely stores essential network information and transaction data on the blockchain to foster a trustworthy and transparent transactional environment. We also apply sharding-based blockchain to increase network throughput and manageability. Integration of blockchain and opportunistic networks addresses the challenges of peer-to-peer payments, establishes tamper-proof data, enhances node reliability, and provides transparency in collaborative decision-making within the network.