High capacity optical fiber network

Claim 1

Wavelength division multiplexed optical waveguide system including: a transmitter for generating, modulating, and multiplexing modulated channel carriers for introduction into a transmission line, the transmitter being characterized by a "system wavelength" of magnitude within the wavelength range of the grouped channel carriers; a receiver for performing functions including demultiplexing modulated channel carriers; optical amplifiers; and a transmission line of optical fiber including at least one fiber span defined at one end by a transmitter and at the other end by a receiver, in which the span includes at least one optical amplifier, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT a substantial portion of optical fiber in the span consists of fiber of absolute value of dispersion ≧4 ps/nm-km at the system wavelength but includes lengths of both signs of dispersion, whereby the value of average dispersion in the span is reduced to a value ≦4 ps/nm-km, and in which substantially all fiber lengths defining the portion of the span have absolute values of dispersion of the same order of magnitude.