Abstract: Disclosed is a service provisioning tool and method for determining favorable implementations of a service in a grid-less optical network, wherein said service provisioning tool is configured to assign total cost values to a given implementations, select the implementation or a group of implementations having the lowest cost, wherein said total cost values are based on —cost values regarding selectable data rates on individual links, —cost values regarding necessity to install additional equipment, —cost values regarding selectable signal frequency bands. One or more of said cost values are dynamically changing as a function of one or more of the degree of utilization, the lifetime of the service, the time available for establishing the service, a modulation format and a signal power.

Abstract: Disclosed is a service provisioning tool and method for determining favorable implementations of a service in a grid-less optical network, wherein said service provisioning tool is configured to assign total cost values to a given implementations, select the implementation or a group of implementations having the lowest cost, wherein said total cost values are based on—cost values regarding selectable data rates on individual links, —cost values regarding necessity to install additional equipment, —cost values regarding selectable signal frequency bands. One or more of said cost values are dynamically changing as a function of one or more of the degree of utilization, the lifetime of the service, the time available for establishing the service, a modulation format and a signal power.