Demonstration of programmable optical multicasting in a regional/metro area network

We propose and demonstrate a novel optical multicast network using a wavelength-selective optical cross-connect and a multiwavelength optical source. The system allows wavelength-division-multiplexing optical sources to be separately maintained by a service provider and remotely modulated by an independent content provider. In our demonstration, a multiwavelength optical source and a common modulator are shared among the users receiving the multicast signal.