Patent ID: 8238750

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an optical splitting device configured to receive multiplexed optical seeds and data signals, including a plurality of multiplexed individual optical seeds and a plurality of multiplexed individual optical data signals, via a feeder fiber, and to output at least a first and a second group of the multiplexed optical seeds and data signals onto each of a first distribution fiber and a second distribution fiber, respectively; a first cyclic arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) provided at a first node and coupled to the first distribution fiber, the first cyclic AWG configured to demultiplex the first group of multiplexed optical seeds and optical data signals and to distribute, for one or more of the plurality of individual optical seeds and data signals in the first group, one of the individual optical seeds and one of the individual optical data signals to a respective optical network unit (ONU) coupled to the first cyclic AWG; and a second cyclic AWG provided at a second node and coupled to the second distribution fiber, the second cyclic AWG configured to demultiplex the second group of multiplexed optical seeds and data signals and to distribute, for one or more of the plurality of individual optical seeds and data signals in the second group, one of the individual optical seeds and one of the individual optical data signals to a respective optical network unit (ONU) coupled to the second cyclic AWG; wherein the first and the second cyclic AWGs are configured to allocate or distribute each of the plurality of individual optical seeds and data signals to a respective ONU that is coupled to either the first cyclic AWG or coupled to the second cyclic AWG.