Regenerator location problem in flexible optical networks

In this study, we introduce the regenerator location problem in flexible optical networks. With a given traffic demand, the regenerator location problem in flexible optical networks considers the regenerator location, routing, bandwidth allocation, and modulation selection problems jointly to satisfy data transfer demands with the minimum cost regenerator deployment. We propose a novel branch-and-price algorithm for this challenging problem. Using real-world network topologies, we conduct extensive numerical experiments to both test the performance of the proposed solution methodology and evaluate the practical benefits of flexible optical networks. In particular, our results show that, making routing, bandwidth allocation, modulation selection, and regenerator placement decisions in a joint manner, it is possible to obtain drastic capacity enhancements when only a very modest portion of the nodes is endowed with the signal regeneration capability.