In this paper, we deal with a mesh network design problem arising from the deployment of WDM for the optical internet. The mesh network consists of mesh topology for satisfying traffic demand while minimizing the cost of WDM, OXC, and fiber cables. The problem seeks to find an optimal routing of traffic demands in the network such that the total cost is minimized. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer programming model and devise a tabu search heuristic procedure. Also we develop an optical internet design system that implements the proposed tabu search heuristic procedure. We demonstrate the computational efficacy of the proposed algorithm, compared with CPLEX 8.0.