Patent ID: 7941049

Claim:
An optical transmission apparatus for transmitting a multi-wavelength optical signal, comprising: a first optical amplification portion for amplifying a multi-wavelength optical signal incoming from a first optical transmission path by using pumping light emitted from a first pump light source; a first switch portion for switching a path for every wavelength of a multi-wavelength optical signal from the first optical amplification portion; a second optical amplification portion for amplifying a multi-wavelength optical signal from the first switch portion by using pumping light emitted from a second pump light source and sending the signal to a second optical transmission path; a third optical amplification portion for amplifying a multi-wavelength optical signal from a third optical transmission path by using pumping light emitted from a third pump light source; a second switch portion for switching a path for every wavelength of a multi-wavelength optical signal from the third optical amplification portion; and a fourth optical amplification portion for amplifying a multi-wavelength optical signal from the second switch portion by using pumping light emitted from a fourth pump light source and sending the signal to a fourth optical transmission path, wherein the first optical amplification portion uses a first remnant pump light that is the remaining of the pumping light emitted from the fourth pump light source, used in the fourth optical amplification portion; the third optical amplification portion uses a second remnant pump light that is the remaining of the pumping light emitted from the second pump light source, used in the second optical amplification portion, wherein a wavelength range of the pumping light of the first pump light source and a wavelength range of the pumping light of the fourth pump light source are different from each other, and a wavelength range of the pumping light of the second pump light source and a wavelength range of the pumping light of the third pump light source are different from each other.