A method of arbitrating data transmissions to prevent data collisions in an optical data interconnect system including a transmitting node, a plurality of receiving nodes, and one or more remaining nodes connected through an optical data channel. The method involves transmitting a transmission request signal from the transmitting node over an arbitration channel corresponding to the transmitting node, monitoring, at the transmitting node, a plurality of arbitration channels corresponding to each of the plurality of receiving nodes and the one or more remaining nodes at the transmitting node for a predetermined period of time, determining a start time for a data transmission from the transmitting node based on the monitored signals to prevent a data collision, and initiating a data transmission of a data signal from the transmitting node over the optical data channel at the determined start time.