Possibly the largest interconnected systems in the world are telecommunications networks for public and private use. The principles underlying the design of the transmission and terminal components in this worldwide network are well established and coherent; however those involving the design of the switching center component are not. Based on the author's many years of experience in the design of telecommunications switching systems, this book explains the basic principles of switching system design and provides a unified approach to modern computer control and digital systems as well as the much more numerous electromechanical systems that comprise most of the switching equipment in public use today. Telecommunications Switching Principles is a basic reference and text in the use and design of telecommunications switching systems. Anyone who knows basic electronics and has some idea of the internal structure of simple computer systems will be able to use the book. It provides a fundamental background on the subject and an understanding of modern developments, especially in digital systems and computer control for practicing engineers, persons involved in providing of manufacturing switching equipment, and communication systems managers. It is based on courses given at the postgraduate level and could form the basis of a final year course in telecommunication engineering, teleprocessing, or real-time computer systems for graduate and undergraduate students in electrical engineering.