Convergence times associated with simulated annealing based (SA-based) optimization in wireless networks can be reduced by introducing an additional local or cell-level evaluation step into the evaluation of global solutions. In particular, new local solutions may be evaluated based on local performance criteria when the new solutions are in a global solution deemed to have satisfied a global performance criteria. New local solutions that satisfy their corresponding local performance criteria remain in the new global solution. New local solutions that do not satisfy their corresponding local performance criteria are replaced with a corresponding current local solution from a current global solution, thereby modifying the new global solution. The resulting modified global solution includes both new local solutions and current local solutions prior to being accepted as the current global solution for the next iteration.
Please help me write a proper abstract based on the patent claims. CLAIM: 1. A method for adjusting communication parameters in a multi-cell wireless network, the method comprising: iteratively generating and evaluating global solutions for a wireless network over a sequence of iterations, each of the global solutions including multiple local solutions that specify wireless configuration parameters for local coverage areas in the wireless network, wherein each of the global solutions are evaluated using a simulated annealing based (SA-based) optimization algorithm, and wherein at least some of the local solutions are evaluated separately from the corresponding global solution; selecting one of the global solutions when an output condition is reached; and sending local solutions in the selected global solution to access points (APs) in the wireless network. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein iteratively generating and evaluating the global solutions comprises: evaluating each of the global solutions during a corresponding iteration using the SA-based optimization algorithm; and evaluating local solutions in corresponding global solutions that satisfy a global performance criteria. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein evaluating the local solutions in the corresponding global solutions that satisfy the global performance criteria comprises: determining whether the local solutions satisfy a local performance criteria; and replacing, in the corresponding global solutions, local solutions that fail to satisfy the local performance criteria with previous local solutions. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the local solutions satisfy a local performance criteria comprises determining whether a cost of the local solution exceeds a threshold. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the local solutions satisfy a local performance criteria comprises determining whether a function of a cost of the local solution and a local temperature parameter of the SA-based optimization algorithm exceeds a threshold. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein iteratively generating and evaluating the global solutions further comprises: updating a global temperature parameter of the SA-based optimization algorithm based on an evaluation of a global solution during an instant iteration; and updating one or more local temperature parameters of the SA-based optimization algorithm based on evaluations of one or more local solutions during the instant iteration. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the updated global temperature parameter defines a global acceptance probability used to evaluate global solutions during subsequent iterations, and wherein the one or more updated local temperature parameters define local step sizes and directions for modifying wireless parameters of current local solutions when generating new local solutions during subsequent iterations. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the updated global temperature parameter defines a global acceptance probability used to evaluate global solutions during subsequent iterations, and wherein the one or more updated local temperature parameters define local acceptance probability used to evaluate local solutions during subsequent iterations. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein iteratively generating and evaluating the global solutions over the sequence of iterations further comprises: generating a first new global solution during a first iteration by finding neighbors of current local solutions in a current global solution; identifying one or more new local solutions in the first new global solution that fail to satisfy local performance criteria; replacing, in the first new global solution, the one or more new local solutions with corresponding ones of the current local solutions from the current global solution, thereby obtaining a modified global solution that includes at least some one new local solution and at least one current local solution; and generating a second new global solution during a second iteration by finding neighbors of local solutions in the modified global solution. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the SA-based optimization algorithm is a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) algorithm, and wherein the global solutions specify antenna tilts and transmit power levels for local coverage areas in the wireless network. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the SA-based optimization algorithm is an inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC) optimization algorithm, and wherein the global solutions specify one or more of a sub-band power factor, edge-to-center boundary, and transmit power levels for local coverage areas in the wireless network. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm is a mobility optimization algorithm, and wherein the global solutions specify handover parameters for the local coverage areas. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the local solutions and the global solution are evaluated in the wireless network during test periods. 14. A controller comprising: a processor; and a computer readable storage medium storing programming for execution by the processor, the programming including instructions to: iteratively generate and evaluating global solutions for a wireless network over a sequence of iterations, each of the global solutions including multiple local solutions that specify wireless configuration parameters for local coverage areas in the wireless network, wherein each of the global solutions are evaluated using a simulated annealing based (SA-based) optimization algorithm, and wherein at least some of the local solutions are evaluated separately from the corresponding global solution; select one of the global solutions when an output condition is reached; and send local solutions in the selected global solution to access points (APs) in the wireless network. 15. The controller of claim 14, wherein the instructions to iteratively generate and evaluate the global solutions include instructions to: evaluate each of the global solutions during a corresponding iteration using the SA-based optimization algorithm; and evaluate local solutions in corresponding global solutions that satisfy a global performance criteria. 16. The controller of claim 15, wherein the instructions to evaluate the local solutions in corresponding global solutions that satisfy the global performance criteria includes instructions to: determine whether the local solutions satisfy a local performance criteria; and replace, in the corresponding global solutions, local solutions that fail to satisfy the local performance criteria with previous local solutions. 17. The controller of claim 15, wherein the instructions to iteratively generate and evaluate the global solutions further include instructions to: update a global temperature parameter of the SA-based optimization algorithm based on an evaluation of a global solution during an instant iteration, wherein the updated global temperature parameter defines a global acceptance probability used to evaluate global solutions during subsequent iterations; and update one or more local temperature parameters of the SA-based optimization algorithm based on evaluations of one or more local solutions during the instant iteration, wherein the one or more updated local temperature parameters define local step sizes and directions for modifying wireless parameters of current local solutions when generating new local solutions during subsequent iterations. 18. The controller of claim 15, wherein the updated global temperature parameter defines a global acceptance probability used to evaluate global solutions during subsequent iterations, and wherein the one or more updated local temperature parameters define local acceptance probability used to evaluate local solutions during subsequent iterations. 19. A method for iteratively modifying wireless configuration parameters in a wireless network over a sequence of intervals, the method comprising: selecting subsets of local coverage areas in the wireless network, each of the subsets of local coverage areas corresponding to a different subset of intervals in the sequence of intervals; iteratively generating and evaluating, during each subset of intervals, local solutions for the corresponding subset of local coverage areas using a simulated annealing based (SA-based) optimization algorithm without modifying wireless configuration parameters of local coverage areas that are excluded from the corresponding subset of local coverage areas during the corresponding subset of iterations; selecting a set of local solutions when an output condition is reached; and sending the selected set of local solutions specified by the selected global solution to access points (APs) in the wireless network. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein each subset of local coverage areas includes fewer than all local coverage areas in the wireless network. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the subsets of local coverage areas in the wireless network comprises: calculating costs associated with wireless transmissions in the local coverage areas prior to each subset of iterations; and selecting local coverage areas having a cost exceeding a threshold for inclusion in the corresponding subset of local coverage areas. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein selecting the subsets of local coverage areas in the wireless network comprises: calculating costs associated with wireless transmissions in the local coverage areas prior to each subset of iterations; ranking the local coverage areas based on the costs; and selecting a predetermined number of the highest ranked local coverage areas for inclusion in the corresponding subset of local coverage areas.