Abstract: A communication network (NET) including a distributed hash table (DHT) whose nodes (X1, X2, X3 . . . XN) provide services that may be accessed by network elements (T), and which has: means for receiving a service location request (R) containing at least one service identifier (ID), and search means for searching the hash table for at least one piece of location information. The invention is characterized in that the hash table is organized so that the location information is associated with keys which contain at least one service identifier and which correspond to leaves on a PHT binary tree whose node labels are distributed within the hash table; and in that the search means are adapted to search for location information in all or some of the leaves whose label prefixes the service identifier contained within the service request.