Remotely settable chromatic dispersion robustness for dense wave division multiplexing interfaces

A system comprising:

• a tunable chirped wavelength division multiplexed transmitter (TCWDM), the TCWDM including:
• a light source configured for generating an optical signal for encoding information transmitted from the TCWDM over one or more light paths of a telecommunications network;
• a modulator operably coupled to the light source and configured for controlling the optical signal to generate chirped optical pulses of the optical signal, the chirped optical pulses having a first frequency spectrum controlled by the modulator, such that when the pulses are transmitted from the TCWDM and received at an end of the first light path the pulses have a chromatic dispersion penalty that is less than a predetermined penalty;
• and
• modulation control circuitry configured for controlling the modulator in response to received instructions, such that the chirped optical pulses have a second frequency spectrum controlled by the modulator and when the pulses are transmitted from the TCWDM and received at an end of a second light path of the telecommunications network the pulses have a chromatic dispersion penalty that is less than a predetermined penalty;
• and
• a central office controller located remotely from the TCWDM, the central office controller including:
• a network configuration evaluation module configured for evaluating a change in a configuration of the telecommunications network as a result of the pulses being transmitted from the TCWDM and received at the end of the second light path rather than transmitted from the TCWDM and received at the end of the first light path;
• and
• a TCWDM control module configured for generating the instructions based on the change in the configuration of the telecommunications network and configured for sending the instructions to the TCWDM.

A method comprising:

• generating an optical signal for encoding information transmitted from a tunable chirped wavelength division multiplexed transmitter (TCWDM) over one or more light paths of a telecommunications network,
• modulating an optical signal that encodes information transmitted over one or more light paths in a telecommunications network;
• controlling the modulated optical signal to generate chirped optical pulses of the optical signal, the chirped optical pulses having a first frequency spectrum, such that when the pulses are received at an end of a first light path of the telecommunications network the pulses have a chromatic dispersion penalty that is less than a predetermined penalty;
• evaluating a change in a configuration of the telecommunications network as a result of the optical signal received at an end of a second light path of the telecommunications network rather at the end of the first light path;
• and
• remotely controlling, from a distance of more than one kilometer, the modulated optical signal such that the chirped optical pulses have a second frequency spectrum and when the pulses are received at the end of a second light path of the telecommunications network the pulses have a chromatic dispersion penalty that is less than a predetermined penalty.