An ATM connection (45) and call connection equipment (22) can be dynamically allocated between exchanges (20, 30). The connection is set up and released by a master switch (20) on one side of the connection. The slave (30) is controlled using standard signaling protocols and the physical connections (45) between the interworking units (40, 50) use circuit emulation according to AAL1. The master (20) controls the ATM connection (45) with standard signaling and the slave (30) with normal trunk signaling. The ATM connection (45) and connection (26) can be set up between the nodes (40, 50) when needed based on the traffic needs of the network (10).