Patent ID: 7468988

Claim:
A method for improving utilization of a high-speed time-division multiplexed external network communications link terminated by a signal transfer point, the method comprising: (a) terminating, at a first port of a multi-port link interface module in a signal transfer point, a first bi-directional, high-speed time division multiplexed external network communications link; (b) terminating, at a second port of the multi-port link interface module in the signal transfer point, a second bi-directional, high-speed time division multiplexed external network communications link; and (c) using the multi-port link interface module in the signal transfer point: (i) transmitting and receiving data over the first and second bi-directional high-speed external network communications links; and (ii) combining data received at the first port from the first external network communications link with internal data processed by the signal transfer point and inserting the combined data into empty outbound timeslots of the second external network communications link, wherein inserting the combined data into the empty outbound timeslots includes transmitting the combined data over the second external network communications link via the second port.