Blockchain-based Service Network (hereinafter “Service Network” or “BSN”) is a cross-cloud services, cross-portal, cross-underlying framework global public infrastructure network used to deploy and operate all types of blockchain applications. The BSN was jointly originated by the State Information Centre, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd., China UnionPay Co. Ltd. and Beijing Red Date Technology Co., Ltd. The internet is formed by the connection of the cloud resources and data centres of each party using TCP/IP protocol; the BSN, then, is formed by the connection of the cloud resources and data centres of each party through a set of blockchain operating protocols. Neither is owned by a single organisation; they are both public infrastructures.

The BSN aims to change the existing problem of the high cost of developing and deploying blockchain applications by providing public blockchain resource environments to developers just like the Internet, thus greatly reducing costs associated with the development, deployment, operations, maintenance and regulation of blockchain applications and thereby, to accelerate the development and universal adaption of blockchain technology.

The BSN is made up of public city nodes spread out on a global scale. On a public city node, application distributors and users can use a uniform identification certificate to distribute, manage and add unlimited quantities of blockchain applications and no longer need to create their own blockchain operating environments. All applications are passed through a load balancing mechanism so that consumption of balanced resources are optimally minimized and reducing operating costs to just 20% of traditional blockchain cloud services. Through the BSN, an application only requires RMB 2,000-3,000 yuan a year to form a chain and start operating. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including individual students, etc. are all able to use the BSN for innovation and entrepreneurship.

The BSN will be the first global infrastructure autonomously innovated by China and that can be rapidly deployed on a global scale. At the moment, the BSN already supports and is being adapted for consortium blockchain frameworks including Hyperledger Fabric, FISCO BCOS, Fabric with Chinese SM4 Encryption Algorithm, CITA, Wutong Chain, Brochain and Baidu’s XuperChain to convenience developers with even more choice. Within each BSN portal, developers with absolutely no blockchain development experience will be able to use their own familiar programming language to develop blockchain applications.

The BSN is an open blockchain service network that any enterprise unit owning cloud services and data centre services can apply to create a city node and access the network at no charge. The BSN implements a multi-portal policy, such that cloud services providers and underlying framework providers joining the BSN can choose to create their own portal and to manage their own developers and application distributors. The sales revenue from each portal’s cloud resources is split accordingly between the parties of the related city node. As of the end of December 2019, and with the great support of China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, the BSN currently has already created or was in the process of creating more than 100 public city nodes in cities all over China and in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is expected that by the end of 2020, there will be almost two hundred city nodes, with city node coverage extending to Southeast Asia, Europe, South America and North America, etc.

To learn more about the BSN, please download the Blockchain-based Service Network Introductory White Paper. Parties interested in cooperation are invited to get in touch.