Solving the terminal assignment problem using a local search genetic algorithm

Abstract

Terminal assignment is an important issue in telecommunication networks optimization. The task here is to assign a given collection of terminals to a given collection of concentrators. The main objective is to minimize the link cost to form a network. This optimization task is an NP-complete problem. The intractability of this problem is a motivation for the pursuits of a local search genetic algorithm that produces approximate, rather than exact, solutions. In this paper, we explore one of the most successful emerging ideas combining local search with population-based search. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that our algorithm provides good solutions in a better running time. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.