Practical Design of IEEE 802.16e Networks: A Mathematical Model and Algorithms

There are several factors that influence the design of optimal IEEE 802.16e networks. In the first stage of the network development, the most important issue is to find an appropriate solution for the base station location from a given set of candidate sites. The network can be considerably improved if the base station location solution found during the planning phase is designed to achieve optimal performance and cost-efficient WiMAX networks. This work presents a framework that gives the operators a new perspective in mobile WiMAX network design by simplifying the problem and translating it into a formal optimization routine with consideration of economic factors. We propose a mixed integer programming model that considers the WiMAX specific features and services, and present optimization strategies based on four meta-heuristics, Tabu Search, Variable Neighborhood Search, Genetic Algorithm and Simulated Annealing. Experimental results are provided to compare the performance of those heuristic algorithms allowing new interesting observations about the quality and robustness of the different strategies in WiMAX.