Written in an accessible and easy-to-read style, this cutting-edge book presents advanced solutions to current and future telecommunications optimization problems. The field of telecommunications is growing and changing ever more rapidly, presenting new real-world problems for optimization researchers to address. Telecommunications engineers tend to know all about the problems involved but are often not aware of developments in computer science and artificial intelligence that might solve those problems. This unique book takes a colloborative approach describing the essence of the problems and then the heuristic and adaptive techniques which are now recognised as adept at solving these problems. In addition the emerging technologies in telecommunications and increasing use of the Internet expand the role that advanced heuristic and adaptive methods can play. Topics covered include: Heuristic techniques covering local search methods and population-based search techniques Adaptive computation techniques covering neural computation, fuzzy logic and game theory Practical and successful ways to address problems in network design and planning, routing, protocol design and network management This state-of-the-art book will be an essential resource for optimization researchers needing a wider appreciation of the problems in telecommunications, and indispensable for telecommunications engineers using heuristic and adaptive techniques.