A method and apparatus for processing a request to transmit a radio signal emitted by a radio terminal to a radio management module. The radio management module authorizes the radio terminal to emit the radio signal to a radio module associated with the radio terminal. The radio module has optical processing elements connected to one end of an optical link via which the radio signal modulated on the optical carrier is to be transmitted. The method includes the following steps, applied by an optical management module connected to the radio management module: generating an activation request to activate the optical processing elements of the radio module associated with the terminal by transmission-related parameters included in the transmission request, the transmission-related parameters being transmitted to the optical management module by the radio management module, and emitting, to the associated radio module, the activation request to activate the optical processing elements.