FAP web - A website about Frequency Assignment Problems

Mathematical Optimization and Scientific Information
Zuse Institute Berlin

FAP Survey

Within the scope of the DONET project, a survey article on frequency assignment has been written.

Authors: Karen I. Aardal, Stan P.M. van Hoesel, Arie M.C.A. Koster, Carlo Mannino, and Antonio Sassano.

Title: Models and Solution Techniques for Frequency Assignment Problems

Reference: published in 4OR, volume 1, number 4, pages 261 - 317 (2003). Slighty older version also available as ZIB-Report 01-40, December 2001:

• Click here to download the postscript version.
• Click here to download the pdf version.
• An updated version to be published in Annals of Operations Research is now available online. Alternatively, the manuscript can be downloaded here.

Abstract: Wireless communication is used in many different situations such as mobile telephony, radio and TV broadcasting, satellite communication, and military operations. In each of these situations a frequency assignment problem arises with application specific characteristics. Researchers have developed different modelling ideas for each of the features of the problem, such as the handling of interference among radio signals, the availability of frequencies, and the optimization criterion.
This survey gives an overview of the models and methods that the literature provides on the topic. We present a broad description of the practical settings in which frequency assignment is applied. We also present a classification of the different models and formulations described in the literature, such that the common features of the models are emphasized. The solution methods are divided in two parts. Optimization and lower bounding techniques on the one hand, and heuristic search techniques on the other hand. The literature is classified according to the used methods. Again, we emphasize the common features, used in the different papers. The quality of the solution methods is compared, whenever possible, on publicly available benchmark instances.

Keywords: frequency assignment

MSC: 90-02, 90C35, 05C90