A multi-stage link switch includes first, second and third switch elements, each of the first, second and third switch elements having a predetermined plurality of incoming terminals and a predetermined plurality of outgoing terminals. Communication information is switched between a plurality of incoming highways and a plurality of outgoing highways based on information in each of a plurality of cells. Each cell has fixed length and is transmitted by each of the incoming highways to the plurality of outgoing highways. The multi-stage link switch includes a primary stage including a plurality of the first switch elements, each input terminal of each first switch element is connected to a corresponding one of the input highways, an intermediate stage including a plurality of the second switch elements, each input terminal of each of the second switch elements is being connected to a corresponding one of the output terminals of a corresponding one of the first switch elements of the primary stage, and a last stage including a plurality of the third switch elements, each input terminal of each of the third switch elements being connected to a corresponding one of the output terminals of a corresponding one of the second switch elements in the intermediate stage. Each outgoing terminal of each of the third switch elements is connected to a corresponding one of the outgoing highways.