A Wavelength-Division-Multiplexed Passive Optical Network With Simultaneous Centralized Light Source and Broadcast Capability

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) passive optical network (PON) architecture with simultaneous centralized light source and broadcast capability. The proposed WDM-PON supports simultaneous delivery of 10-Gb/s broadcast on–off-keying (OOK) signals and 10-Gb/s point-to-point (P2P) differential-phase-shift-keying (DPSK) signals. The broadcast OOK signals are obtained by modulating a part of the P2P DPSK signals to enhance the wavelength utilization efficiency. Then, the two kinds of signals are transmitted to the optical network unit (ONU) through different fiber links, and this configuration guarantees the good transmission performance. At each ONU, a portion of the P2P DPSK signal provides the seeding source for remodulating the upstream 10-Gb/s OOK signal, which avoids the cost of a wavelength-specific laser at each ONU. The performance of the proposed WDM-PON with a symmetrical capacity is comprehensively investigated through both simulation and experiment. The results verify that the proposed WDM-PON scheme is a good candidate to provide broadcast service through the WDM-PON infrastructure.