Patent ID: 7092595

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a multiple wavelength light source to supply a first broad band of wavelengths for a one or more passive optical networks, wherein the multiple wavelength light source to generate a series of four or more pulses of light in the first broad band of wavelengths, where each pulse of light in that series has a different center wavelength and the series of pulses of light in the first broad band of wavelengths repeat at a channel data rate of an optical receiver at a subscriber's location; as well as a broadband light source to supply a second broad band of wavelengths to a multiplexer/demultiplexer in a first passive optical network, wherein the multiplexer/demultiplexer to supply a separate spectral slice of the second broad band of wavelengths to a plurality of optical transmitters to wavelength lock an operating wavelength of that transmitter to the wavelength of the injected spectral slice, and an operating range of the second broad band of wavelengths is different than the operating range the first broad band of wavelengths.