Embodiments provide a method for sending an optical transport network (OTN) signal, including: acquiring, by a network element (an OTN device), a first OTN signal, and determining a to-be-deleted timeslot in the first OTN signal; deleting the to-be-deleted timeslot in the first OTN signal, to form a second OTN signal; and sending the second OTN signal by using an optical module, where a transmission rate of the second OTN signal adapts to a transmission rate of the optical module.