Solving the frequency assignment problem with differential evolution

In this paper it is presented and researched the possibility of using the Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm to solve the Frequency Assignment Problem (FAP). This problem involves a free assignment of a number of available frequencies to a set of requesters, subject to a set of specified constraints given by an interference matrix. Hence, it is a very important problem in the Telecommunications area (especially in GSM networks - Global System for Mobile). In this work, by the first time, the performance of DE is evaluated using for the results seven well-known benchmark problems on the MS-FAP (Minimum Span Frequency Assignment Problem). Furthermore, we also compare the influence of each configuration parameter of the DE, presenting the most important conclusions.