Establishing telecommunications call paths in broadband communication networks

A telecommunications network comprising:

• a plurality of access switches;
• and
• a plurality of common broadband platform (CBP) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) crossconnect switches;
• wherein each access switch comprises means for converting a plurality of pulse code modulated (PCM) multiplexed input signals into ATM signals;
• wherein ones of said CBP switches are connected to ones of said access switches;
• wherein said ATM signals converted from said PCM signals and being switched in said access switches and in said CBP switches comprise periodically transmitted composite cells, each composite cell for transmitting a plurality of PCM channels from a plurality of said PCM signals, said composite cells being transmitted on constant bit rate (CBR) permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) interconnecting two access switches, said composite cells being transmitted at a repetition rate whose period is a multiple of a basic PCM sampling rate.

A telecommunications network comprising:

• a plurality of access switches;
• and
• a plurality of common broadband platform (CBP) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) crossconnect switches;
• wherein each access switch comprises means for converting a plurality of pulse code modulated (PCM) multiplexed input signals into ATM signals;
• wherein ones of said CBP switches are connected to ones of said access switches;
• wherein ATM signals being switched in said access switches and in said CBP switches comprise periodically transmitted composite cells each composite cell for transmitting a plurality of PCM channels from a plurality of said PCM signals, said composite cells being transmitted on constant bit rate (CBR) permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) interconnecting two access switches, said composite cells being transmitted at a repetition rate whose period is a multiple of a basic PCM sampling rate.