Tabu Search for Tactical Wireless Network Design in Challenging Environments

Tactical wireless networks play a vital role in ensuring reliable connectivity in scenarios where conventional telecommunications infrastructure is unavailable or damaged, such as areas impacted by natural disasters. These networks are designed to operate efficiently in difficult and unpredictable environments by adapting to the unique characteristics of the terrain. This research addresses a real-world challenge from the communications industry: designing tactical wireless networks that meet the specific constraints defined by our industrial partner, with the goal of optimizing signal strength and coverage while minimizing interference. To this end, we propose two tabu search algorithms that incorporate several heuristic subroutines, enabling the efficient generation of high-quality network designs. Results from synthetic tests demonstrate that our approach produces networks rapidly and effectively, offering significant improvements over existing methods.