Patent ID: 8155009

Claim:
A method for providing a telecommunications service between a source node and a destination node in a communications network, wherein the telecommunications service is associated with at least one service requirement, the method comprising: (a) identifying a plurality of fiber segments within the communications network that provide capacity links between the source node and the destination node; (b) determining a cost for each of the plurality of fiber segments, wherein the cost is based at least on a distance of each fiber segment; (c) calculating a first aggregate cost of at least two of the plurality of fiber segments that when communicatively combined form a first route between the source node and the destination node; (d) calculating at least one other aggregate cost of at least two of the plurality of fiber segments that when communicatively combined form at least one other route between the source node and the destination node, wherein the at least two fiber segments that form the at least one other route comprise at least one fiber segment distinct from the at least two fiber segments that form the first route; (e) selecting the first route for the telecommunications service based on a comparative analysis between the first aggregate cost and the at least one other aggregate cost; (f) identifying one or more network elements for use in provisioning the telecommunications service over the first route; (g) analyzing the one or more identified network elements to determine whether use of the one or more identified network elements in the first route conforms to the at least one service requirement, wherein the one or more identified network elements comprise at least a first network element and a second network element, the first network element and the second network element being co-located at a node, and wherein the analyzing operation (g) comprises: analyzing the first network element to determine whether use of the first network element in the first route conforms to the at least one service requirement and, if the first network element would cause the first route to not conform to the at least one service requirement, analyzing the second network element to determine whether use of the second network element in the first route conforms to the at least one service requirement; and (h) based on the analyzing operation (g), if use of the one or more identified network elements causes the first route not to conform to the at least one service requirement, selecting the at least one other route for the telecommunications service.