Signal transmission system including allocation of signal elements to different categories

A telecommunications switching system comprising:

• a plurality of incoming communication channels received via first coupling units;
• a plurality of outgoing communication channels transmitted via second coupling units;
• coupling means for connecting one of the plurality of incoming communication channels with one of the plurality of outgoing communication channels,
• the one of the plurality of outgoing connections being indicated by control signals on the one of the plurality of incoming connections;
• means for generating the control signals and transmitting the control signals via incoming communication channels,
• the control signals including time-division digital data flows, each time-division digital data flow including frames, each frame having a number of control-time slots and a number of data-time slots;
• and
• a plurality of category allocating means associated with corresponding channels, each category allocating means pre-configured by a processor associated with the control means, for identifying each time in each frame of each time-division data flow as a control-time slot, or a data-time slot,
• each category allocating means including frame control means associated with an outgoing communication channel for influencing an output signal from one or more of said category allocating means and for decreasing the number of data-time slots and increasing the number of control-time slots.