The generalized fixed-charge network design problem

In this paper we present the generalized fixed-charge network design (GFCND) problem. The GFCND problem is an instance of the so-called generalized network design problems. In such problems, clusters instead of nodes have to be interconnected by a network. The network interconnecting the clusters is a fixed-charge network, and thus the GFCND problem generalizes the fixed-charge network design problem. The GFCND problem is related to the more general problem of designing hierarchical telecommunication networks.