Patent ID: 6888846

Claim:
Communications apparatus, comprising: a first plurality of client interface units, coupled to network service lines so as to send and receive data carried by the service lines in accordance with respective communication protocols, the client interface units including at least first and second client interface units that communicate with respective first and second channels of the data operating in accordance with different, respective first and second protocols; a second plurality of optical interface units, coupled to a passive optical network (PON) and to modulate optical radiation responsive to the data so as to convey the data over the PON; and a connectivity unit, coupled to convey the data between the client interface units and the optical interface units, while mapping the channels to the optical interface units so that data from the first and second channels is carried in alternation by one of the optical interface units to first and second users of the passive optical network communicating respectively in accordance with the first and second protocols, wherein the connectivity unit comprises a first plurality of memories which store routing information for channels of the data sent and received by respective client interface units, and wherein each of the first plurality of memories comprises a downstream label memory which stores the routing information indicative of the optical interface unit, comprised in the second plurality of units, to which downstream data comprised in the channels of the data is to be sent.