JPH0636623B

PURPOSE:To reduce hardware and to simplify a control by using not only a wavelength multiplex technique but also a time division multiplex technique and constituting a non-closed optical channel only through controls of the wavelength conversion of an optical signal and its phase. CONSTITUTION:When a multi-optical signal of a wavelength lambda arrives from input highways 1-1 and 1-2, the wavelength lambda is converted in accordance with control information of a control part 13 in order to input said signal to wave length converter circuits 2-1 and 2-2 and to convert a time slot. An optical signal from the wavelength converter circuits 2-1 and 2-2 is inputted to gate-type optical switches 3-1 and 3-2 to sample the input optical signal at a high speed and to joint it by a coupler 4, and the input optical signal is wave-divided at every wavelength by an optical wave divider 5. Then it is delayed through optical delay lines 6-1-6-n to synthesize it by a wave synthesizer 7. After the synthesized optical signal is branched at each output highway by an optical wave branching device 8, the desired signal can be taken out from gate-type optical switches 9-1-9-n and subjected to the wavelength conversion. Then it is subjected to the speed conversion and transmitted to output highways 12-1 and 12-n.