Patent ID: 6798781
Filing Date: 2004-09-28
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method of operating an optical communications system comprising a wavelength-dependent optical router, a plurality of terminals, each terminal including at least one tuneable optical receiver, and at least one passive optical network interconnecting the plurality of terminals via the wavelength-dependent optical router, the method including:(a) transmitting to each terminal in a first signalling phase, the identity of a wavelength channel assigned to the terminal from among a plurality of available wavelength channels of different wavelengths, where some of the terminals are assigned a common wavelength channel from among the plurality of available wavelength channels; (b) in a second signalling phase subsequent to the first signalling phase, transmitting, on a given common wavelength as identified in the first signalling phase, network control signals to only those terminals assigned to said given common wavelength channel; and (c) in the data transmission phase subsequent to the first and second signalling phases, communicating data between terminals via the passive optical network and the wavelength-dependent optical router, where each terminal outputting data onto the passive optical network transmits on a respective wavelength channel and data time-slot selected depending on the control data received at the respective terminal in the second signalling phase.