WARM-START HEURISTICS FOR SOLVING THE PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK PLANNING PROBLEM

The use of automated network planning systems is crucial for reducing the deployment cost and planning time of passive optical telecommunication networks. Mixed integer linear programming is well suited for the purpose of modelling passive optical networks; however, excessive computing times for solving large-scale problem instances render these approaches impractical. In this paper, an arc-based, a path-based, and a composite integer linear programming formulation of the passive optical network planning problem are considered. A reduction in computing times and peak memory usage is obtained by applying multiple heuristics as warm-starts to these problem formulations. Finally, the computational results presented in this paper are based on real-world Geographic Information System data - more specifically, a neighbourhood in Potchefstroom, South Africa.