The frequency assignment problem in a telecommunication network refers to the task of assigning frequencies to transmitters to minimize or eliminate interference and to optimize at least one other parameter. The literature on this task is vast and examines many parameter optimization objectives. Numerous schemes, models, and methods have been proposed. In this article, we present an extensive survey of the published studies on the frequency assignment problem in the context of a wide range of applications. Different types of optimization objectives, models and solution methods are presented in a systematic way.