A method of communicating signals via a switching network for effecting point-to-point communication between nodes , the switching network having a time-varying switching configuration, which causes successive activation and deactivation of multiple channels of the switching network , a first of the channels connecting, when activated, a transmitter node (102-T) and a first receiver node (102-R1), and a second of the channels connecting, when activated, the transmitter node (102-T) and a second receiver node (102-R2), the method comprising; in a training phase: transmitting from the transmitter node (102-T) via the first channel a first known training signal, to cause the first receiver node (102-R) to receive a first distorted training signal, using the first distorted training signal and knowledge of the first known training signal to determine one or more first transmit-side equalizer, EQ, coefficients, and storing, in memory (302-T) accessible to the transmitter node (102-T), the first transmit-side EQ coefficients, in association with the first channel, transmitting from the transmitter node (102-T) to the second receiver node (102-R2) a second known training signal, to cause the second receiver node (102-R2) to receive a second distorted training signal, using the second distorted training signal and knowledge of the second known training signal to determine one or more second transmit-side EQ coefficients, and storing, in memory accessible to the transmitter node (302-T), the second transmit-side EQ coefficients, in association with the second channel; wherein, in a communication phase, the transmitter node (102-T) uses an available schedule to determine, for each time interval of multiple time intervals, which of the first and second channels is activated, and uses the transmit-side EQ coefficients associated with that channel to pre-equalize signals prior to transmission in that time interval via that channel; wherein at least one of the receiver nodes (102-R) applies adaptive equalization to signals received from the transmitter node (102-T) in the communication phase to account for time-varying channel conditions of the channel between that receiver node (102-R) and the transmitter node (102-T). transmitting from the transmitter node (102-T) via the first channel a first known training signal, to cause the first receiver node (102-R) to receive a first distorted training signal, using the first distorted training signal and knowledge of the first known training signal to determine one or more first transmit-side equalizer, EQ, coefficients, and storing, in memory (302-T) accessible to the transmitter node (102-T), the first transmit-side EQ coefficients, in association with the first channel, transmitting from the transmitter node (102-T) to the second receiver node (102-R2) a second known training signal, to cause the second receiver node (102-R2) to receive a second distorted training signal, using the second distorted training signal and knowledge of the second known training signal to determine one or more second transmit-side EQ coefficients, and storing, in memory accessible to the transmitter node (302-T), the second transmit-side EQ coefficients, in association with the second channel; wherein, in a communication phase, the transmitter node (102-T) uses an available schedule to determine, for each time interval of multiple time intervals, which of the first and second channels is activated, and uses the transmit-side EQ coefficients associated with that channel to pre-equalize signals prior to transmission in that time interval via that channel; wherein at least one of the receiver nodes (102-R) applies adaptive equalization to signals received from the transmitter node (102-T) in the communication phase to account for time-varying channel conditions of the channel between that receiver node (102-R) and the transmitter node (102-T). <EOS>