Patent ID: 7130919

Claim:
A telecommunications network comprising a plural number of network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of a first type for transmitting data signals comprising a header area and a payload area, with a specific area in the header of the data signals being provided for transporting management data between the various network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of the first type, and with a transmission path between the network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of the first type leading via network elements (NEB 1 –NEB 4 ) of a further type, where the area in the header of the data signals provided for transporting management data between the network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of the first type is not usable for this management data between the network elements (NEB 1 –NEB 4 ) of the further type, and with the network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of the first type comprising termination points (TP 11 , TP 12 , TP 21 , TP 22 ) for one of inserting management data from the header area to the payload area of the data signal and inserting the management data from the payload area to the header area of the data signal wherein all network elements (NEA 1 –NEA 4 ) of the first type, for their supply with the management data, form part of an at least partly closed ring (T 1 –T 4 ) by way of which the management data is transmittable in the payload area of the data signals.