A method for transmitting data carrying optical information over an optical channel, comprising the steps of providing an optical transmitter consisting of a light source being a Mode-Locked Optical Frequency Comb (MLFC) for generating a frequency comb of multiple carriers, each of which being modulated by a baseband signal; an optical modulator for modulating each and all of the multiple carriers in a modulation bandwidth extending up to the modes' frequency spacing between the multiple carriers; performing all-optical encoding of the modulated carriers by manipulating the optical amplitude and/or phase and/or polarization of all optically modulated carriers; and transmitting, by the optical transmitter, the encoded modulated carriers to an optical receiver, over an optical channel.