Patent ID: 7130541

Claim:
An optical network system comprising a data service hub; at least one optical tap, the optical tap further comprising a spectral slicer for passively extracting wavelengths of downstream optical signals and for passively combining upstream optical signals; at least one subscriber optical interface connected to the optical tap for receiving the extracted wavelengths of downstream optical signals and for sending upstream optical signals; a bandwidth transforming node disposed between the data service hub and the optical tap, for propagating upstream and downstream optical signals, each optical signal comprising a plurality of wavelengths, the bandwidth transforming node converting upstream and downstream optical signals from an optical domain into an electrical domain, the bandwidth transforming node comprising a routing device for apportioning bandwidth in the electrical domain between subscribers and using a look-up table for processing both upstream and downstream electrical signals, the bandwidth transforming node converting electrical signals exiting from the routing device into the optical domain; one or more optical waveguides connected between respective optical taps and the bandwidth transforming node, for carrying the upstream optical signals and the downstream optical signals, whereby the number of the waveguides is minimized while optical bandwidth for subscribers is controllable by the bandwidth transforming node in response to subscriber demand.