An apparatus provides signal links of M with N signal connections. A first stage has first switching matrices, wherein the first switching matrices are designed to establish at least one switchable signal link between each associated first signal connection and an associated second signal connection. A second stage has a second switching matrix with a size of N×M. In a sub-area of the second switching matrix the intersection points X2p,q that comprise switching elements are precise those that for N≧M satisfy the conditions: p−Σλ=1i−1nλ≡q (mod ni); 1≦p−Σλ=1i−1nλ≦ni and 1≦q≦M.