To provide the method in which 1: multi and/or multi-:1 connection is set at a high speed in a communication network consisting of exchanges (switches).

Upon the receipt of a connection setting request designating reception users 11, 12, 13 from a transmission user 10, a switch 100 retrieves a route to each reception user to select a next stage switch 102 and designates the reception users 11, 12, 13 to send the connection setting request to the switch 102. The switch 102 retrieves further routes to each reception user, selects a switch 103 for the reception users 11, 12 and selects a switch 104 for the reception user 13 and designates respectively the corresponding reception users to send the connection setting request to the switches 103, 104. The connection setting request received from a switch of a pre-stage is sequentially relayed to a selected switch of a next stage till the reception users receive it in this way.