Patent ID: 7254330

Claim:
A system for upgrading a baseline passive optical network (PON), comprising: a central office having a baseline optical link that receives a baseline communication signal from one or more service provider and converts the baseline communication signal into a downstream baseline optical signal within a first optical bandwidth, and having an additional optical link that receives a second type of communication signal and converts the second type of communication signal into a second downstream optical signal within a second optical bandwidth, wherein the downstream baseline optical signal is combined with the second downstream optical signal to generate a broadband optical signal; a fiber optic network coupled to the central office that receives the broadband optical signal on at least one optic fiber and splits the broadband optical signal to a plurality of fiber drops; and a plurality of optical network termination (ONT) units with each ONT unit coupled to a fiber drop, wherein at least one of the ONT units is a baseline ONT unit that receives the broadband optical signal from the fiber drop and splits the downstream baseline optical signal from the broadband optical signal, and wherein at least one other of the ONT units is an upgraded ONT unit that includes a first filter operable to receive the broadband optical signal from the fiber drop and isolate the second downstream optical signal from the broadband optical signal, the upgraded ONT unit including a second filter operable to isolate the downstream baseline optical signal from a remaining portion of the broadband optical signal after the second downstream optical signal has been isolated from the broadband optical signal, the first and second filters operable to pass an upstream optical signal to the fiber drop; wherein the installation of the upgraded ONT unit to the PON does not effect baseline optical service to any other ONT unit.