40-Gbit/s TDM transmission over 160 km (2×80 km) of standard nondispersion-shifted fiber

It is anticipated that fiber chromatic dispersion is one of the key performance-limiting factors in the next generation high-speed time-division multiplexing (TDM) systems operating at 40 Gbit/s. To date, much effort has been focused on the issue of signal propagation using dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF). In reality, the existing fiber base is predominantly nondispersion-shifted fiber (NDSF) exhibiting dispersion values between 15 and 17 ps/nm/km with respect to the erbium-doped fiber amplifier wavelength window. Some ways of compensating this level of dispersion will be necessary. In this paper, we report the TDM transmission of 40-Gbit/s data on these high-dispersion-standard NDSF. The optimum position of the dispersion-compensating fiber was evaluated in single- and multi-span configurations. System results for operation up to two spans of NDSF are presented. Comparison with system simulation is also be made