Geography- and infrastructure-aware topology design methodology for broadband access networks (FTTx)

ISSN： 1387-974X

Source： Photonic Network Communications, Vol.21, Iss.3, 2011-06, pp. : 253-266

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Abstract

We present a topology design methodology for broadband (FTTx) access networks. The calculations are based on real geographic data (digital maps) and infrastructural information of the targeted area, using detailed and realistic cost models in order to provide results of practical interest. The developed heuristics offer low time consumption and nearly optimal solutions for the highly complex problem of minimal cost network deployment, due to the properly chosen and customized heuristic algorithms for the various network technologies. We review the specific properties of the FTTx network technologies, present a formal representation of the problem including a detailed cost function and network model and discuss complexity issues. The various solution techniques are presented along with case studies of real-life scenarios in order to show the potential of the methodology. The developed heuristic algorithms offer an approximation of the optimum within 10-15%, while time consumption remains in the range of a few minutes, even for large-scale scenarios with 10,000s of customers. Beyond topology design, the results provided by these methods are useful for a preliminary CAPEX estimation and techno-economic comparison.