Communication control method, station side device, subscriber side device, and communication system

A communication control method performing Discovery processing, which is a procedure at a station side device to detect a subscriber side device newly connected, in a PON system, the method comprising:

• a first discovery step of transmitting, by the station side device, a transmission permission signal for discovery, which includes a multicast address, permitting all subscriber side devices to respond, and further setting a discovery window in a time window in which registration request signals from all the subscriber side devices can be received;
• a registration-request-signal transmitting step of transmitting, by the subscriber side device, which is not registered in the station side device, a registration request signal as a response to a received transmission permission signal;
• a storing step of storing, by the station side device, which has received the registration request signal, an individual number and a round-trip time for the subscriber side device, which has transmitted the registration request signal, wherein
• a second discovery step of transmitting, by the station side device, a transmission permission signal including an individual number of the subscriber side device that has gone into a non-operating state after being once discovered, and further setting a discovery window in a time window in which a registration request signal from the subscriber side device can be received based on a round-trip time stored in past discovery, and
• an address of the subscriber side device and an address mask are included in the transmission permission signal, whereby the station side device designates the subscriber side device which is permitted to transmit a registration request signal based on the address and the address mask.