Abstract: An upgrade arrangement wherein the switching functions of an in-service switch or cross-connect system are transferred or "re-homed" onto a new, larger capacity switch via the existing input and output ports of the original system. The re-homing can be performed without loss of service, even if the original system is operating at full-capacity. By exploiting the protection redundancy engineered into existing telecommunication switching systems, all of the signals being routed through the original switch are temporarily consolidated onto only one-half of the switching fabric normally required to accommodate such connectivity. This signal consolidation allows half of the original switch ports to be brought off-line (without a service disruption), and linked to the new, higher capacity switching fabric.