Patent ID: 7583795

Claim:
A method of optimizing access connections between a long distance carrier and a local exchange carrier network so as to minimize access charges paid by the long distance carrier, the method comprising the steps of: a) partitioning the local exchange carrier network into a plurality of separate geographic areas, each separate geographic area including a plurality of end offices; b) for each partition created in step a), defining a plurality of network elements associated with access charges, including long distance carrier points-of-presence (POPs), multiplexers (MUX's), end offices, direct trunks, access tandem switches, access tandem trunks; c) for each end office in each partition, determining a minimal cost architecture of direct trunks, access tandem trunks and access tandem switches as a function of forecasted traffic volume; d) for each partition including at least one multiplexer, determining an optimal assignment and location for each multiplexer and associated high capacity facilities using a mixed integer program including the following parameters: c em : cost of a trunk from endpoint e to its POP; c m : cost of a multiplexer and a high capacity facility from MUX location m to its POP; and D e : total number of trunks required to endpoint e and the following decision variables: x e : number of trunks from endpoint e to its POP; y em : number of trunks from endpoint e to MUX location m; and z m : number of high capacity facilities from MUX location m to its POP, where the mixed integer program objected is defined as: Min ⁢ ∑ e ⁢ c e ⁢ x e + ∑ e ⁢ ∑ m ⁢ c em ⁢ y em + ∑ m ⁢ c m ⁢ z m and, based on the optimal assignment, e) re-determining the minimal cost architecture of step c) and updating the optimal assignment and location results for each multiplexer; and f) combining the results for each end office in each partition to determine an optical access network topology with minimal access charges.