In this paper, we have proposed an analytical model that computes the blocking probability and the channel utilisation for a given load on the optical networks with wavelength conversion at the nodes. The computation has been carried out for fixed routing with uniform traffic distribution (UTD). When any link on a route blocks a call, the dropped call reduces the offered load on all other links invovled in the route. The overall blocking probability of the network is estimated using Erlang fixed point approximation with the reduced load on the links. The expression has been validated by comparing the results with that of simulation for a number of standard networks including 14 node NSFNET, 20 node ARPANET and 20 node INDIANET. We show that the analytical method performs well in the desired range of blocking probabilities and is applicable to any network topology. © 2008 by the IETE.