An optical switching system (100, 200) comprising: an optical multiplexer (162, 262) configured to combine a plurality of optical input signals having respective wavelengths into a wide-channel optical input signal that is provided to an input channel; another input channel configured to receive another wide-channel optical input signal directly from an external optical source; a photonic packet switch (210, 110) comprising a switch core (120, 220) and a plurality of ports defining a switch radix of the photonic packet switch, the input channel, the another input channel, an output channel being associated with one of the plurality of ports, another output channel configured to provide a wide-channel optical output signal directly to an external optical receiver, and the photonic packet switch configured to process the wide-channel optical input signal and the another input channel signal to generate a wide-channel optical output signal that is provided to the output channel and the another output channel signal that is provided directly to the external optical receiver; and an optical demultiplexer (164, 264) configured to separate the wide-channel optical output signal into a plurality of optical output signals having respective wavelengths, the optical multiplexer and the optical demultiplexer collectively providing the system with a radix greater than the switch radix, an optical-to-electrical, O/E, converter configured to receive the wide-channel optical input signal for processing an input data packet associated with the wide-channel optical input signal via the switch core; an electrical-to-optical, E/O, converter configured to transmit an output data packet associated with the wide-channel optical output signal from the switch core to the output channel; wherein the photonic packet switch further comprises: input buffers configured to receive the wide-channel optical input signal from the O/E converter and the another wide-channel optical input signal directly from the external optical source; output buffers configured to transmit the wide-channel optical output signal from the E/O converter to the output channel and the wide-channel optical output signal directly to the external optical receiver; and a channel control component configured to differentiate between wide-channel optical signals that are and are not input from the optical multiplexer and to configure the input buffers for each of a respective plurality of input channels and the output buffers for each of a respective plurality of output channels associated with the plurality of ports to be coupled to or not be coupled to a respective multiplexer and demultiplexer. an optical multiplexer (162, 262) configured to combine a plurality of optical input signals having respective wavelengths into a wide-channel optical input signal that is provided to an input channel; another input channel configured to receive another wide-channel optical input signal directly from an external optical source; a photonic packet switch (210, 110) comprising a switch core (120, 220) and a plurality of ports defining a switch radix of the photonic packet switch, the input channel, the another input channel, an output channel being associated with one of the plurality of ports, another output channel configured to provide a wide-channel optical output signal directly to an external optical receiver, and the photonic packet switch configured to process the wide-channel optical input signal and the another input channel signal to generate a wide-channel optical output signal that is provided to the output channel and the another output channel signal that is provided directly to the external optical receiver; and an optical demultiplexer (164, 264) configured to separate the wide-channel optical output signal into a plurality of optical output signals having respective wavelengths, the optical multiplexer and the optical demultiplexer collectively providing the system with a radix greater than the switch radix, an optical-to-electrical, O/E, converter configured to receive the wide-channel optical input signal for processing an input data packet associated with the wide-channel optical input signal via the switch core; an electrical-to-optical, E/O, converter configured to transmit an output data packet associated with the wide-channel optical output signal from the switch core to the output channel; input buffers configured to receive the wide-channel optical input signal from the O/E converter and the another wide-channel optical input signal directly from the external optical source; output buffers configured to transmit the wide-channel optical output signal from the E/O converter to the output channel and the wide-channel optical output signal directly to the external optical receiver; and a channel control component configured to differentiate between wide-channel optical signals that are and are not input from the optical multiplexer and to configure the input buffers for each of a respective plurality of input channels and the output buffers for each of a respective plurality of output channels associated with the plurality of ports to be coupled to or not be coupled to a respective multiplexer and demultiplexer.