Patent ID: 7366416

Claim:
A hub for use in a passive optical network (PON), comprising: a transmission fiber on which an information-bearing optical signal is received; a double-cladded, rare-earth doped fiber located along the transmission fiber for imparting gain to the information-bearing optical signal; a combiner having an output coupled to the transmission fiber and a plurality of inputs, said output being coupled to the transmission fiber such that optical energy at pump energy wavelengths but not signal wavelengths are communicated therebetween; at least one integrated pump source/splitter module optically coupled to one of the inputs of the combiner for providing optical pump energy to the double-cladded, rare-earth doped fiber; and a first optical splitter having an input receiving the amplified, information-bearing optical signal from the doped fiber and a plurality of outputs, at least one of said outputs being coupled to the integrated pump source/splitter module; a second optical splitter having an input coupled to a splitter output of the integrated pump source/splitter and a plurality of outputs for directing portions of the amplified, information-bearing optical signal to remote nodes in the PON.