How Far Can Data Loops Go?
John R. Pierce · IRE Transactions on Communications Systems · 1972
The switching of addressed blocks of data through a network (message switching) is particularly suited to the sort of inquiry-response communication characteristic of many business transactions. In a system of interconnected loops, efficient message switching can be attained with distributed control rather than common control. The initial capital investment in such a system would be low and the investment would grow only as the system grew.