Patent ID: 8446815

Claim:
A telecommunications network, comprising: plural nodes connected by plural spans and arranged to form a mesh network; at least one pre-configured cycle of spare capacity being established in the mesh network, the pre-configured cycle including plural nodes of the mesh network and being pre-connected in readiness for a span or node failure in advance of the span or node failure; and the plural nodes of the pre-configured cycle being configured to protect a set of working paths by providing one or more protection paths on the pre-configured cycle for each working path of the set of working paths such that for each pair of working paths in the set of working paths either the paths of the pair have no link in common with each other or the one or more protection paths on the pre-configured cycle for each working path in the pair have no link in common with the one or more protection paths on the pre-configured cycle for the other working path in the pair, the working paths each having end nodes on the pre-configured cycle, and at least one working path in the set of working paths including at least one intermediate node between end nodes of the working path.