On vehicle models from the E65 on, BMW is for the first time using fibre-optic cables as standard for communication between control units.
The optical buses are notable for their high data transmission rate and they are not susceptible to electromagnetic interference. The optical buses in question are the MOST bus, primarily used for in-car entertainment electronics, and the byteflight bus, which serves predominantly safety-critical functions.

OPPS has been designed for encoding, individualising and programming (CIP) via the Software Service Station (SSS) and envisaged for use as part of the BMW diagnostic system (DIS) from DISPlus and Group Tester One (GT1). It is intended for testing and programming tasks from the E65 series, taking the place of the diagnostic head.

OPS is intended for rapid programming of control units.
When operated at the SSS, no diagnostic or technical measuring pro-cedures are possible, as no measuring technology is incorporated; in this instance, OPPS / OPS is used predominantly for programming control units (flashing). Communication with the vehicle can be performed both via the MOST and via the OBD interface. The OBD interface is required for the power supply to the OPPS / OPS and has communication properties via which the vehicle can be identified and the data to be programmed can be determined. From CIP version 7.0, it is possible to delete fault code memories via OPPS / OPS.