Shared optical pumps among multiple fiber channels

An optical power arrangement for use in a fiber optical communication network, comprising:

• a first and a second optical fiber both configured to communicate data in a first direction;
• a first optical pump coupled to the first optical fiber;
• a second optical pump coupled to the second optical fiber;
• a third optical pump coupled to both the first and the second optical fibers to enable delivery of power to both the first and the second optical fibers, wherein the third optical pump is a Raman pump configured to inject optical power into both the first and the second optical fibers in a second direction opposite to the first direction;
• a third optical fiber including a third optical channel;
• a fourth pump configured to provide optical power to the third optical fiber as a main pump;
• and
• a fifth pump configured to operate as a redundant pump, wherein the fifth pump is configured to provide optical power to the second and the third optical fibers.

An optical communication network, comprising:

• a first optical amplifier coupled to the first optical fiber, wherein a first node is coupled to a first optical channel and to a second optical channel, the first optical channel is carried by the first optical fiber and the second optical channel is carried by a second optical fiber, and a second node is coupled to the first optical channel and to the second optical channel and configured to receive optical signals from the first node through both the first and the second optical channels;
• a second optical amplifier coupled to the second optical fiber;
• a coupler including:
• an input coupled to a first pump,
• a first output coupled to the first optical amplifier, and
• a second output coupled to the second optical amplifier;
• the first pump coupled to the coupler to provide optical power to the first optical fiber;
• and
• a second pump coupled to the coupler and configured to provide optical power to both the first and the second optical fibers via the first optical amplifier and the second amplifier that are both coupled to the coupler, wherein the first optical fiber powered via the coupler carries the first optical channel between the first node and the second node, the second optical fiber powered via the coupler carries the second optical channel between the same first node and the second node, and the first optical channel is independent from the second optical channel.