Routing algorithms and protocols in current and future telecommunication networks

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Communication networks play a fundamental role in every-day life. In the last few decades, the world has seen a tremendous growth of telecommunication services and infrastructure and an additional increase is forecasted by major telecommunication companies in the coming years. Since modern life crucially relies on telecommunication networks able to route traffic demands quickly and properly, the design and the implementation of effective routing algorithms is a fundamental research area with a high technological and economic impact. How can we use novel algorithmic theory to provide effective and reliable routing of traffic in current and future networks? The investigation of this question, both from a theoretical and from an applied point of view, is the long-term goal of this project. The short-term goals are twofold. On the theoretical side, I plan to develop new complexity and approximation results for hot research topics such as routing problems under traffic demand uncertainty, or single-source unsplittable flow problems. On the applied side, I plan to focus on how to efficiently implement particular routings in networks ruled by fixed routing protocols of high relevance in the telecommunication industry. With this project, I plan to build up a highly visible team that contributes to this field, at the interface of applied mathematics, computer science and telecommunication engineering. Most of the questions and problems addressed in this proposal, although being of fundamental mathematical nature, are motivated by real-world routing problems in telecommunication. Therefore, I expect the results and methods developed in this project to have a direct impact on practical problem solving.