Fast operating program controlled digital uniswitch

A uniswitch comprising a plurality of units which are distributed locally and which are mutually connected by means of physical links, wherein one of said units, called the switch core, includes a circuit switch for setting-up circuit-switched connections, said circuit switch including a central circuit switch having incoming and outgoing ports and also having control memories which define which incoming ports shall be connected with which outgoing ports for establishing the routes of the circuit-switched connections through the central circuit switch, wherein a distributed packet switch which includes a plurality of packet handlers is provided, said distributed packet switch includes a transmitting and receiving device for respectively transmitting and receiving control packets which are comprised of time slots wherein one packet handler is provided in each of said units, wherein the packet handlers and the physical links form a packet-switched network through which the control packets are switched by the packet switch, and a central packet handler provided at the switch core which includes circuit setup devices for interaction with control memories;

• and said control packets that are addressed to the central packet handler and contain a command requesting handling of a connection operate the central circuit switch upon being received in the central packet handler.