Alcatel Lucent

Alcatel

Edwin August Philomena Ringoot

Erwin Alfons Constant Six

Tim Gyselings

Brecht Stubbe

Dessislava Nikolacva Nikolova

A time slot management method for use in a time division multiple access system that couples a line terminator via a tree-like network to a plurality of network terminations is provided. At least one grant is transmitted by the line terminator towards a network terminator in order to allocate at least one adjacent subsequent corresponding upstream time-slot to the network terminator. The grant is received by the network terminator from the line terminator, and it is recognized if the at least one grant is associated with the network termination. Upon recognition of the at least one grant being associated with the network termination by the network terminator, overhead data in the first time slot of the at least one time slot and payload data in each potential adjacent subsequent time slot of at least one time-slot allocated to said network terminator is transmitted.

Timeslot management method, a related network terminator, a related line terminator and an upstream signal frame structure for a time division multiple access system

A time slot management method for use in a time division multiple access system that couples a line terminator via a tree-like network to a plurality of network terminations is provided. At least one grant is transmitted by the line terminator towards a network terminator in order to allocate at least one adjacent subsequent corresponding upstream time-slot to the network terminator. The grant is received by the network terminator from the line termination, and it is recognized if the at least one grant is associated to the network termination. Upon recognition of the at least one grant being associated to the network termination by the network terminator, overhead data in the first time slot of the at least one time slot and payload data in each potential adjacent subsequent time slot of at least one time-slot allocated to said network terminator is transmitted.

A point-to-multipoint telecommunication system can be made more flexible by providing upstream units with generators and locators for generating at least two subsequent overhead cells located next to each other and neighbouring a larger number of data cells for supplying system information. Downstream units are provided with detectors for detecting the subsequent overhead cells. This new signal flame structure allows a larger number of data cells to be exchanged without being interrupted by an overhead cell. Each cell consists of at least 53 bytes in accordance with the Asynchronous Transfer Mode or ATM standard. The at least two overhead cells comprise two overhead cells for supporting 54 data cells, or comprise three overhead cells for supporting 103 data cells. The point-to-multipoint telecommunication systems comprise passive optical networks, with upstream units corresponding to line terminators, and with downstream units corresponding to network terminators.

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CW St. Jansteen, Netherlands

Edwin August Philomena Ringoot