Patent ID: 6870836
Filing Date: 2005-03-22
Classification: H04J,H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A communication system comprising optical line termination (OTL) equipment coupled to a plurality of outstations through an optical communication resource, the optical communication resource including an optical splitter providing a point-to-multipoint concentration/distribution function between the OLT equipment and the plurality of outstations, wherein: the OLT equipment comprises collision detection logic to support media access control of the plurality of outstations to the OLT equipment via the optical splitter and over the optical communication resource, the collision detection logic responsive to packet-switched encoded data communicated thereto through the optical communication resource, the packet-switched encoded data realising a transport mechanism through the optical communication resource; and wherein each of the plurality of outstations is adapted to pass data in a packet-switched format to and from the optical communication resource such that packet-switched encoded data is transported, in use, directly between the outstation and the OLT equipment.