Dispersion Compensation for Upgrading Interoffice Networks Built with 1310 nm Optimized SMFs Using an Equalizer Fiber, EDFAs and 1310/1550 nm WDM

Abstract

We present a strategy for the dispersion-compensated, flexible upgrading of existing 1310 nm-optimized interoffice fiber networks by using an optical equalizer fiber for dispersion compensation and an Erbium-doped fiber amplifier for loss compensation. This allows an upgrade to higher network capacities including long-distance, multi-Gb/s SONET systems as required in future survivable inter-office networks. The feasibility of this concept was demonstrated with simultaneous, dispersion-compensated transmission at both 1310 and 1550 nm wavelengths over a 60 km conventional 1310nm-optimized single-mode fiber (SMF), as well as with dispersion-compensated 1550 nm transmission over an 110 km conventional SMF at 2.5 Gb/s.