Patent ID: 7177395

Claim:
A telecommunications system central office comprising: a first piece of central office electronic equipment; a cross-connect frame that is separate from the first piece of central office electronic equipment and is configured to provide a connection point to the first piece of central office electronic equipment; a first electronic looping system that is separate from the first piece of central office electronic equipment and the cross-connect frame and that is connected between the first piece of central office electronic equipment and the cross-connect frame, the first electronic looping system comprising a plurality of electronically controlled switches that are operable to loop selected transmission paths between the first piece of central office electronic equipment and the first electronic looping system; a second piece of central office electronic equipment that is separate from the first piece of central office electronic equipment, the first electronic looping system and the cross-connect frame; a second electronic looping system that is separate from the first and second pieces of central office electronic equipment, the first electronic looping system and the cross-connect frame, and that is connected between the second piece of central office electronic equipment and the cross-connect frame, the second electronic looping system comprising a plurality of electronically controlled switches that are operable to loop selected transmission paths between the second piece of central office electronic equipment and the second electronic looping system; and a controller that is responsive to user input to control the plurality of electronically controlled switches in the first electronic looping system to loop selected transmission paths between the first piece of central office electronic equipment and the first electronic looping system, wherein the controller is connected to the first electronic looping system by a network.