A telecommunication system for transmitting cells through switching nodes (N1-3) interconnected by groups (LG12, LG23) of transmission links, each node including an asynchronous switching network (SN1-3) which comprises several switch elements. At least one of these switch elements posseses a routing group possiblity whereby the cells are distributed over its outlets and so further over the different transmission links of the link group to which the switching network is connected. This distribution is performed in function of a self-routing tag which is derived from external routing data associated with the cell. At the input ports of either each or only the first switching network (SN1) of the system, the external routing data is translated in a self-routing tag which is for instance added to the header of the cell, whilst at the output ports of each or of only the last switching network (SN3) of the system respectively, the self-routing tag is removed from this header.
Some switch elements possesse a multicast possibility whereby the cells are transferred to several outlets thereof and thereby to several link groups to which the switching network is connected.