Abstract: A passive optical network (PON) carries both telephony traffic and packet-based traffic, each in their native format i.e. without any processing (such as segmentation and reassembly) of either kind of traffic. Specifically, an optical line terminal (OLT) transmits in a time slot of fixed duration (e.g. 125 microseconds or a fraction thereof) a provisionable number (e.g. 0 to 8) frames of fixed size (e.g. T1 frames or E1 frames) in one portion of the time slot, and also transmits a number of frames of variable size in a remaining portion of the time slot. In several embodiments of the invention, the optical line terminal (OLT) determines in real time an integral number of variable size frames that can be transmitted, based on the size of each variable size frame that has been received and is awaiting transmission, and also based on the number of fixed size frames that have been provisioned for the time slot.

Abstract: An optical modem link for full duplex transmission of multiple, independent RF carrier signals between network elements of a Broadband Access Network, includes a first optical modem, e.g., at a CATV headend broadcast facility, linked by a single optical fiber with a second optical modem, e.g., at a distributed hub location, to form an optical modem link. Each optical modem end of a respective link is equipped with an optical transmitter, which transmits light signal having a first wavelength, a receiver which receives a light signal having a second wavelength, and a wavelength division multiplexer which directs the outgoing light signal onto, and the incoming light signal off of, respectively, the fiber link.