In this paper we propose and discuss an optimized link state routing protocol, named OLSR, for mobile wireless networks. The protocol is based on the link state algorithm and it is proactive (or table-driven) in nature. It employs periodic exchange of messages to maintain topology information of the network at each node. OLSR is an optimization over a pure link state protocol as it compacts the size of information sent in the messages, and furthermore, reduces the number of retransmissions to flood these messages in entire network. For this purpose, the protocol uses multipoint relaying technique to efficiently and economically flood its control messages. It provides optimal routes in terms of number of hops, which are immediately available when needed. The proposed protocol is best suitable for large and dense ad hoc networks.