Novel optical fibers for WDM transmission and dispersion management

For transmission fiber designs, dispersion needs to be controlled to a certain level and at the same time the larger the effective area the better. LEAF/sup R/ optical fiber is the first large effective area fiber with optimized non-zero dispersion. Large amounts of this fiber are being deployed all over the world. We will discuss the design tradeoffs and system performance using these fiber designs. We also will illustrate how different fibers can provide flexibility in network design and maximize network upgradeability for both terrestrial and submarine systems.