Bridging Classic Operations Research and Artificial Intelligence for Network Optimization in the 6G Era: A Review

Abstract

This paper comprehensively reviews how operations research and optimization procedures are applied to address challenges in wireless network communications. Key challenges such as network topology design, dynamic task scheduling, and multi-objective resource allocation are examined and systematically categorized. The revision focuses on literature published between 2023 and 2025, and covers topics such as flow optimization and routing, resource allocation and scheduling, mobile and wireless network management, network resilience and robustness, and energy efficiency. The works are selected using a methodological approach ranging from the exact optimization methods, such as mixed-integer programming, to heuristic/metaheuristic strategies and machine-learning-based techniques. It is reported a comparative analysis in terms of computational efficiency, scalability, and practical applicability. The main contribution is to highlight current research gaps and open challenges, with particular emphasis on the integration of operations research and artificial intelligence, especially in problems modeled using graphs and network structures.