Abstract

Complex networks are considered robust against random failures but sensitive to failures in target. Under this perspective we analyze the robustness of the Spanish telecommunication networks for digital transmission, the Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH), considering failures in the equipments that control the flow of information. Our results suggest that the robustness depends not only on the connectivity of equipments removed but also on the capacity and types of links associated with that removal. We have also observed that the robustness of SDH networks depends on the particular initial design and evolution of each Spanish province. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.