WDM/TDMA Hybrid-PON : Wx-PON system

WDM-PON (Wavelength Division Multiplexing - passive optical network) is the next generation access network which utilizes multiple wavelengths on a single fiber. However, for the practical deployment of WDM-PON, the optical network terminal (ONT) placed in the subscriber premises should be wavelength-independent or wavelength-free, in addition to being cost-competitive to existing technologies. We present a hybrid passive optical network, where WDM PON and existing TDMA PON are integrated into a single passive optical network. The feeder part is composed of the color-less WDM PON technology based on RSOA transmitters. The access part (distribution and drop parts) remains as the conventional TDMA-PON (E-PON or G-PON). The connection function between the WDM and TDMA sectors is performed at the X-box, which has this additional function to the conventional TDMA-PON ONU functions.