Abstract In this paper, the optimal channel switching problem is studied for average capacity maximization in the presence of multiple receivers in the communication system. First, the optimal channel switching problem is proposed for average capacity maximization of the communication between the transmitter and the secondary receiver while fulfilling the minimum average capacity requirement of the primary receiver and considering the average and peak power constraints. Then, an alternative equivalent optimization problem is provided and it is shown that the solution of this optimization problem satisfies the constraints with equality. Based on the alternative optimization problem, it is obtained that the optimal channel switching strategy employs at most three communication links in the presence of multiple available channels in the system. In addition, the optimal strategies are specified in terms of the number of channels employed by the transmitter to communicate with the primary and secondary receivers. Finally, numerical examples are provided in order to verify the theoretical investigations.