An optical network communication system utilizing a coherent passive optical network, PON, comprising: an optical line terminal, OLT, including a downstream transmitter and an upstream receiver system configured for time-wavelength division coherent detection; a splitter in operable communication with the OLT; and a plurality of optical network units, ONUs, in operable communication with the splitter, each of the plurality of ONUs configured to (i) receive downstream coherent burst signals from the OLT, and (ii) transmit at least one upstream burst signal to the OLT, wherein the upstream receiver system comprises a power control module (410, 418, 430, 518, 618, 718) and a local oscillator, LO, (308, 406, 414, 424, 510, 610, 710) configured to generate an optical LO signal (306, 412, 422, 434, 508, 608, 708), characterized in that the power control module is configured to receive a signal comprising a power level of the at least one upstream burst signal from a photodetector in optical communication with the at least one upstream burst signal and in electrical communication with the power control module; a power of one or more electrical signals (310, 512, 612, 712) via a feedback loop from an optical receiving portion (302, 504, 604, 704) configured to receive the at least one upstream burst signal; or dynamic bandwidth allocation, DBA, map information from a DBA unit, and wherein the power control module is configured to adaptively control, in real-time, a power level of the optical LO signal based on the received signal. an optical line terminal, OLT, including a downstream transmitter and an upstream receiver system configured for time-wavelength division coherent detection; a splitter in operable communication with the OLT; and a plurality of optical network units, ONUs, in operable communication with the splitter, each of the plurality of ONUs configured to (i) receive downstream coherent burst signals from the OLT, and (ii) transmit at least one upstream burst signal to the OLT, wherein the upstream receiver system comprises a power control module (410, 418, 430, 518, 618, 718) and a local oscillator, LO, (308, 406, 414, 424, 510, 610, 710) configured to generate an optical LO signal (306, 412, 422, 434, 508, 608, 708), characterized in that the power control module is configured to receive a signal comprising a power level of the at least one upstream burst signal from a photodetector in optical communication with the at least one upstream burst signal and in electrical communication with the power control module; a power of one or more electrical signals (310, 512, 612, 712) via a feedback loop from an optical receiving portion (302, 504, 604, 704) configured to receive the at least one upstream burst signal; or dynamic bandwidth allocation, DBA, map information from a DBA unit, and the power control module is configured to receive a signal comprising a power level of the at least one upstream burst signal from a photodetector in optical communication with the at least one upstream burst signal and in electrical communication with the power control module; a power of one or more electrical signals (310, 512, 612, 712) via a feedback loop from an optical receiving portion (302, 504, 604, 704) configured to receive the at least one upstream burst signal; or dynamic bandwidth allocation, DBA, map information from a DBA unit, and wherein the power control module is configured to adaptively control, in real-time, a power level of the optical LO signal based on the received signal.