This paper proposes a novel method for N∶1 optical line terminal (OLT) protection on wavelengthdivision- multiplexing/time-division-multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM/TDM-PONs). The N∶1 OLT protection scheme based on in-service wavelength tuning -tuning) at optical network units (ONUs) provides reliable and cost-effective protection without the need for equipment specific to OLT protection on either the ONU or OLT side. Since the normal multipoint control protocol (MPCP) and backup wavelength pre-assignment are utilized, the proposed method significantly shortens the maximum protection time in N∶1 OLT protection. Results of trials on a 40 Gbit/s (10 Gbit∕s × 4 wavelengths) system with 40 km single mode fiber (SMF) transmission show service interruption times of less than 50 ms at all times, even with the practical -tuning time of 30 ms. The system trials also verify that the proposed method assures service interruption times of less than 50 ms, even with the split ratio on a PON of up to 512. These results verify that the proposed method is promising for next-generation multiservice convergence access networks.