Methods and apparatuses are provided to modify existing overlay system architectures in a cost effective manner to meet the growing demand for narrowcast services and to position the existing overlay systems for additional future modifications. The implementations of the improved overlay system of this disclosure re-digitize narrowcast analog signals after they have been QAM modulated and upconverted to RF frequencies and replace the analog narrowcast transmitters with digital narrowcast transmitters. In the fiber nodes, the received narrowcast signals are converted back to analog signals and combined with analog broadcast signals for transmission to the service groups.

Controller circuitry configured to control an optical transceiver of an optical line terminal, OLT, in a passive optical network, PON. The controller circuitry configured to derive a level of optical beat interference, OBI, of a received upstream optical signal from an optical transceiver of an optical network terminal, ONT; and set a wavelength of a downstream optical signal based on the level of OBI such that the wavelength is forced to differ from the upstream optical signal wavelength.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining distinct timing offsets between an input port and output ports of a multiport optical device. An optical signal is injected at an input port of the device to obtain output signals at the output ports, which are injected into downstream fibers. An optical multipath return signal is received via the input port of the device, including a combination of measured events including reflections, backscatter, or both. A number of similar events expected in the number of downstream optical fibers is calculated to obtain an expected multipath signature based on configuration data. Results of the optical multipath return signal are then compared to the expected multipath signature to obtain comparison results. One of the measured events is distinguished from the others based on the first comparison results and the distinct timing offsets. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method and an apparatus for self-calibration of an ONU receiver in a multi-wavelength PON system, said method including the initial physical layer scan of the receiver tuning range, distributed estimation of the down-stream wavelength channel drift with respect to the nominal standard-based wavelengths, and reporting the estimated downstream wavelength channel drift in the downstream Channel_Map message.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining distinct timing offsets between an input port and output ports of a multiport optical device. An optical signal is injected at an input port of the device to obtain output signals at the output ports, which are injected into downstream fibers. An optical multipath return signal is received via the input port of the device, including a combination of measured events including reflections, backscatter, or both. A number of similar events expected in the number of downstream optical fibers is calculated to obtain an expected multipath signature based on configuration data. Results of the optical multipath return signal are then compared to the expected multipath signature to obtain comparison results. One of the measured events is distinguished from the others based on the first comparison results and the distinct timing offsets. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A communications system, a method for managing a communications system, and a controller, where the communications system includes a front-end device and a remote device, where the remote device includes at least one coaxial media converter (CMC), where each CMC includes a data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) processor supporting a broadband access service and an edge quadrature amplitude modulation (EQAM) processor supporting a video service, and the at least one CMC and the front-end device are connected using a digital fiber, and the front-end device includes a controller, where the controller is configured to manage the at least one CMC.

An apparatus comprises: a processor configured to: select a first channel from among a plurality of channels in a network, and generate a first message assigning a first grant corresponding to the first channel; a transmitter coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the first message; and a receiver coupled to the processor and configured to receive a second message on the first channel and in response to the first message. A method comprises: selecting a first channel from among a plurality of channels in a network; generating a first message assigning a first grant corresponding to the first channel; transmitting the first message; and receiving a second message on the first channel in response to the first message

A system for delivering multiple passive optical network services is disclosed. The system includes a first optical transmission service comprising a common wavelength pair routed from a source to each of a plurality of subscribers. The system further includes a second optical transmission service comprising a plurality of unique wavelength pairs, where each of the unique wavelength pairs is routed from the source to a subscriber among the plurality of subscribers. The system delivers the first optical transmission service and the second optical transmission service to the subscriber on a single optical fiber.

The system of the present invention includes a plurality of ONTs adapted to provide multiple voice and data related services to different subscribers. Each of the plurality of ONTs comprises at least one receiver adapted to receive optical signals, a de-multiplexer to de-multiplex the optical signal into component signals, at least one transmitter and at least one output port. Further, the system includes a plurality of routers operatively coupled to the each of the plurality of ONTs. Furthermore, the system includes a plurality of subscriber devices communicably coupled to each of the plurality of routers. The subscriber devices are adapted to receive the de-multiplexed component signals routed by the corresponding router and provide data and voice services to the particular subscriber. Each of the ONTs configures separate domains for each of the routers operatively coupled thereto so as to enable sharing of the ONT.

The invention provides a method and apparatus for reconfiguring wavelength of the ONU. To be specific, the OLT sends a Deactivate_ONU-ID message to the ONU, the Deactivate_ONU-ID message including a reconfiguration flag, a new receive wavelength assigned for the ONU and a new transmit wavelength assigned for the ONU. After receiving the Deactivate_ONU-ID message from the OLT, the ONU discards the TC layer parameters related to the current wavelength channel, and determines whether the reconfiguration flag included in the Deactivate_ONU-ID message indicates the receive wavelength and the transmit wavelength of the ONU are required to be reconfigured. If so, then the ONU replaces its original receive wavelength and original transmit wavelength with its new receive wavelength and the new transmit wavelength included in the Deactivate_ONU-ID message, and enters initial state; and if not, then the ONU enters initial state directly.