A PON system comprising multiple PONs, each having a respective intelligent splitter monitor (ISM). In addition to having a passive optical splitter therein, an ISM also has several remotely powered active components configured to monitor the presence of uplink light signals on the ports of the splitter and communicate with the central office using out-of-band optical signals. These ISM functionalities enable the network operator, e.g., to automatically map PON connectivity, pairing each port on the splitter with a distinct optical network unit. The PON system further comprises an optical module connected to the multiple PONs through an optical switch in a manner that supports shared access to said module by the corresponding multiple ISMs. In an example embodiment, the optical module comprises an optical transceiver capable of communicating with the ISM transceivers and one or more lasers configured to provide high-intensity light for remotely charging the ISM batteries.