An optical system comprising at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner, a plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiners located downstream, and one or more fiber; the at least one aggregating optical splitter/ combiner is communicatively coupled via the one or more fiber to the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiner; at least one of the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiners is configured to function passively without power from an in-field electrical power source, the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner is configured to detect multiple optical input signals input to combiner ports and re-transmit information from the multiple optical input signals from each of the combiner ports into one or more fibers; and each of the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiners is connected via a fiber to the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner located upstream from the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiner, wherein the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner includes a pump laser configured to make power available to each of the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiners by outputting light from the pump laser for coupling to each fiber and to each of the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiners; each of the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiner comprising: one or more detectors configured to detect reverse path optical signals received from one or more optical network units, ONU, and to detect forward path optical signals received from the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner located upstream, the one or more detectors are further configured to prevent optical beat interference, OBI, in the reverse path direction by converting each of the reverse path optical signals received from the one or more optical network units into electrical signals and combining the individual electrical signals to create a combined electrical signal, at least one additional detector configured to detect the light injected in the forward path by the pump laser in the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner located upstream, a powering circuit configured to use the forward path light from the upstream aggregating optical splitter/combiner's pump laser to power the contributing optical splitter/combiner, the powering circuit is further configured to power at least one of downstream circuitry or upstream circuitry in the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiner for processing the respective reverse path optical signals and forward path optical signals. one or more detectors configured to detect reverse path optical signals received from one or more optical network units, ONU, and to detect forward path optical signals received from the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner located upstream, the one or more detectors are further configured to prevent optical beat interference, OBI, in the reverse path direction by converting each of the reverse path optical signals received from the one or more optical network units into electrical signals and combining the individual electrical signals to create a combined electrical signal, at least one additional detector configured to detect the light injected in the forward path by the pump laser in the at least one aggregating optical splitter/combiner located upstream, a powering circuit configured to use the forward path light from the upstream aggregating optical splitter/combiner's pump laser to power the contributing optical splitter/combiner, the powering circuit is further configured to power at least one of downstream circuitry or upstream circuitry in the plurality of contributing optical splitter/combiner for processing the respective reverse path optical signals and forward path optical signals.