Abstract: A communication switch having heterogeneous ports. The heterogeneous ports are connected to nodes which may be operating at different frequencies and which may have different optical characteristics. In addition to the ports, the switch of the present invention includes a matrix controller and a matrix switch which is connected to the ports. When two ports want to communicate, the matrix controller commands the matrix switch to establish a physical connection between the ports. According to the present invention, data is transferred between the ports via the matrix switch in a serial and asynchronous manner. Because data is serially and asynchronously transmitted, high data rates through the matrix switch may be achieved.