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The Routing and Spectrum Allocation Problem: A Combinatorial Optimization Survey

Author

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  • Marcelo Bianchetti

    (Universidad de Buenos Aires)

  • Javier Marenco

    (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella)

Abstract

One of the most promising solutions to deal with huge data traffic demands in large communication networks is given by flexible optical networking, in particular the flexible-grid technology specified in the ITU-T standard G.694.1. In this specification, the frequency spectrum of an optical fiber link is divided into narrow frequency slots. Any sequence of consecutive slots can be used as a simple channel, and such a channel can be switched in the network nodes to create a so-called lightpath. In this kind of networks, the problem of establishing lightpaths for a set of end-to-end demands that compete for spectrum resources is called the routing and spectrum allocation problem (RSA). This problem is NP-hard and has attracted the interest of the combinatorial optimization community in recent years, giving rise to many approaches from this field in order to both understand the theoretical properties of RSA and to solve this problem in practice. In this survey, we review the existing literature on RSA and its main variants from a combinatorial optimization perspective, with particular emphasis on the applied techniques and the different formulations of the problem that have been studied.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcelo Bianchetti & Javier Marenco, 2025. "The Routing and Spectrum Allocation Problem: A Combinatorial Optimization Survey," SN Operations Research Forum, Springer, vol. 6(3), pages 1-45, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:snopef:v:6:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s43069-025-00498-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s43069-025-00498-x
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