Tackling electrosmog in completely configured 3G networks by parallel cooperative meta-heuristics

The design of efficient third-generation wireless networks is a complex task, involving tools in different areas, such as telecommunications, radiopropagation, information technology. Network planning should consider both constraints related to service quality and to human exposure to electromagnetic fields, due to the increasing awareness of possible adverse consequences to health arising from bio-electromagnetic interactions. In this perspective, the optimum planning problem becomes: given the traffic demand and the maximum number and types of Base Stations available in a given area, select and locate the Base Stations and characterize its antennas technical parameters such that electromagnetic emissions are minimized, while providing a high quality third-generation service. The intrinsic dynamic nature of third-generation systems, the number of variables involved, and the use of external tools for the electromagnetic evaluation, lead to meta-heuristic approaches as solution methods. We investigate the potentials of classical metaheuristics that lead us to propose a cooperative multi-search method, combining Genetic Algorithms, Tabu Search, and Path Relinking in a parallel environment.