Abstract: We introduce a novel multicast switching paradigm, the deflecting multicast switch (DMS), which accomplishes the replication and routing functions of a multicast switch simultaneously. The architecture is shown to have low connection complexity and can be implemented in a modular fashion. A self-routing and self-replication algorithm with minimal control overhead is described which allows for distributed control of these functions. A key requirement of ATM, namely the maintenance of cell sequence in a session, is easily ensured. Analytical results are presented for the calculation of the cell loss probability, the number of stages to guarantee an upper bound on the cell loss probability and the buffer delays. For the case of uniform traffic patterns, numerical results are presented which exhibit the number of stages required for a fixed cell loss probability as well as the buffer delays.