An optical signal transmitter is disclosed that transmits an optical
signal with corresponding Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) channels
and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) channels. The transmitter is
comprised of a laser, a dispersion system, and a modulator. The laser
generates and transmits a narrow laser pulse comprised of a plurality of
wavelength channels. The dispersion system broadens the narrow laser
pulse into a wide laser pulse. The modulator modulates the wide laser
pulse based on an electric modulation signal comprised of a plurality of
time slot channels wherein the time slot channels in the electric
modulation signal correspond to the wavelength channels in the wide laser
pulse respectively. The modulator transfers a modulated wide laser pulse.
Channels of the modulated wide laser pulse are hybrid wavelength and time
slot channels. The transmitter singularly transmits a WDM optical signal
comprised of multiple wavelength channels. The transmitter also allows a
filter to drop time slot channels from a TDM optical signal instead of an
expensive demultiplexer.