Arrangement of optical fiber segments for minimizing effect of nonlinearities

A wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) system including:

• a first demultiplexer for interconnecting an optical transmission path having a plurality of digital information channels to a plurality of receivers;
• a transmission path, including an optical fiber span whose length (L) exceeds 10 kilometers and whose zero dispersion wavelength (λ0) is about 1310 nm,
• CHARACTERIZED IN THAT
• the optical fiber has a loss at 1385 nm, which is less than its loss at 1310 nm, and a chromatic dispersion of between 1.5 and 8.0 ps/nm-km in the 1.4 μm wavelength region, and
• wherein the first demultiplexer receives at least three channels of multiplexed optical signals in the 1.4 μm wavelength region from the transmission path.

Wavelength-division multiplexed optical waveguide system including:

• a first transmitter for generating, modulating, and multiplexing modulated channel carriers for introduction onto a transmission line, the first transmitter being characterized by an “average system wavelength” within the 1.4 μm wavelength region;
• a first receiver for performing functions including demultiplexing modulated channel carriers;
• 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 optical fiber has a zero dispersion wavelength (λ0) at about 1310 nm
• CHARACTERIZED IN THAT
• substantially all fiber defining the span has a chromatic dispersion of between 1.5 and 8.0 ps/nm-km at the average system wavelength;
• and
• substantially all fiber defining the span has a transmission loss at 1385 nm that is less than its transmission loss at 1310 nm.

Wavelength-division multiplexed optical waveguide system including:

• apparatus for transmitting and receiving a plurality of digital information channels, each channel operating at a different wavelength within the 1.4 μm region at a 10 Gb/s rate;
• apparatus for transmitting and receiving a plurality of digital information channels, each channel operating at a different wavelength within the 1.55 μm region at a 2.5 Gb/s rate;
• a transmission line comprising a length (L) of optical fiber extending between the transmitting and receiving apparatuses without dispersion compensation, wherein the length (L) is between 10 kilometers and 200 kilometers;
• and
• wherein the optical fiber is characterized by (i) a zero-dispersion wavelength at about 1310 nm, (ii) a dispersion that is less than about 8.0 ps/nm-km for all channels in the 1.4 μm region, and (iii) a transmission loss at 1385 nm that is less than its transmission loss at 1310 nm.