An optical transmission system method including generating for a tunable laser a pilot tone having an adjustable pilot tone frequency identifying a wavelength division multiplexing channel used by the tunable laser; multiplying the pilot tone with pilot tone data to provide a pilot tone data signal; supplying the pilot tone data signal and a high frequency data signal to the tunable laser generating an optical laser signal output by the tunable laser responsive to the supplied signals; transporting the optical laser signal to a central wavelength to locker; converting the received optical laser signal to provide a pilot tone data signal for wavelength division multiplexing channels demodulated to detect the pilot tone and the pilot tone data for each individual wavelength division multiplexing channel; and identifying the wavelength division multiplexing channel on the basis of the pilot tone frequency of the detected pilot tone and evaluating the pilot tone data.