DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SWITCHING DATA TRAFFIC IN A DIGITAL TRANSMISSION NETWORK

A network element for a digital transmission network is proposed. The network element contains two switching matrices for switching data cells, as well as ingress ports that receive TDM traffic flow and packet traffic flow and segment the traffic flows into cells. A control system for controlling the configuration of the ingress ports and the switching matrices controls the ingress ports, in case of no failure of the switching matrices, to forward the TDM traffic flows to both switching matrices and to split the packet traffic flow over the two switching matrices. 1. Network element for a digital transmission network , comprising: at least one time division multiplex ingress port, adapted to receive a time division multiplex traffic flow and to segment said time division multiplex traffic flow into data cells of fixed size carrying said time division multiplex traffic flow, and', 'at least one packet traffic ingress port, adapted to receive a packet traffic flow and to segment said packet traffic flow into data cells of fixed size carrying said packet traffic flow;, 'a number of ingress ports, comprising'} 'at least one packet egress port, comprising a buffer adapted to store data cells received from one or more of said packet ingress ports and/or data packets reassembled from said data cells received from one or more of said packet ingress ports;', 'a number of egress ports, comprising'}a first and a second cell switching matrix, wherein each cell switching matrix is adapted to switch data cells from any of said ingress ports to any of said egress ports;a control system for controlling the configuration of said ingress ports, said egress ports and said cell switching matrices; said time division multiplex ingress port, to duplicate and forward said data cells carrying said time division multiplex traffic flow to said first cell switching matrix and said second cell switching matrix, and', 'said packet traffic ingress port, to split said packet traffic flow, by ...