Patent ID: 6538781
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: H04B,H04J,H04N,H04Q

Abstract:
A system for communicating a subset of electrical signals downstream between a central location and a customer's premises, the central location and the customer's premises being interconnected by a dedicated optical fiber, the system comprisingan electrical switch, at the central location, for receiving the electrical signals at an input of the switch and for delivering the subset of the electrical signals at an output of the switch, the electrical switch operable to provide only the subset of the electrical signals at its output as subscribed to by the customer, a downstream electrical-optical converter, coupled to the switch at the central location, for converting the subset of electrical signals onto a single downstream optical signal propagated over the optical fiber at a first optical wavelength, and a downstream optical-electrical converter, coupled to the optical fiber at the customer's premises, for detecting the downstream optical signal and for converting the detected downstream optical signal into electrical received versions of the subset of electrical signals for use by the customer.