Patent ID: 7123619

Claim:
A telecommunication network, having a downward data rate from the network to users greater than an upward data rate from the users to the network, the telecommunication network comprising multiplexers for establishing connections, constituting virtual channels between users and the network, the virtual channels being grouped into virtual paths, wherein, in each multiplexer close to the user, a bandwidth allocated to each downward virtual path is variable under the control of a call control means provided upstream in a switching node, and wherein upward virtual paths have a fixed bandwidth, wherein the call control means is provided with a memory containing information representing a maximum bandwidth allocated downwardly to each user and representing a bandwidth allocated downwardly to one or more interfaces between the users' multiplexer and the switching node, the call control means using information to limit the bandwidth allocated to each user to its authorized maximum, and to limit a total bandwidth allocated to the downward virtual paths to a value not greater than the bandwidth of the one or more interfaces.