Ant-Based Load Balancing in Telecommunications Networks

This article describes a novel method of achieving load balancing in telecommunications networks. A simulated network models a typical distribution of calls between nodes; nodes carrying an excess of traffic can become congested, causing calls to be lost. In addition to calls, the network also supports a population of simple mobile agents with behaviors modeled on the trail-laying abilities of ants. The ants move across the network between randomly chosen pairs of nodes; as they move, they deposit simulated pheromone as a function of their distance from their source node and the congestion encountered on their journey. They select their path at each intermediate node according to the distribution of simulated pheromone at each node. Calls between nodes are routed as a function of the pheromone distributions at each intermediate node. The performance of the network is measured by the proportion of calls that are lost. The results of using ant-based control (ABC) are compared with those achieved by using fixed shortest-path routes, and also those achieved by using an alternative algorithmically based type of mobile agent previously proposed for use in network management. The ABC system is shown to result in fewer call failures than the other methods, while exhibiting many attractive features of distributed control.