We consider a fully-connected loss network with dynamic alternative routing, each link of capacity K. Calls arrive to each link {i, j} at rate λ independently and depart at rate 1. If the link is full upon arrival, a third node k is chosen uniform and the call is routed via k: it uses a unit of capacity on both {i, k} and {k, j} if both have spare capacity; otherwise, the call is lost. This is a model for telephone networks, implemented by BT in the 1990s. We analyse the asymptotics of the mixing time of this process, depending on the traffic intensity α := λ/K. In particular, we determine a phase transition at an explicit threshold α*: there is fast mixing if α < α* or α > 1, but metastability if α* < α < 1. We also discuss a fixed for metastability—ie, an adjustment to the model which removes the slow-mixing phase. Again, this was implemented by BT in the UK telephone network.