Abstract: A method of selectively compensating for the chromatic dispersion of optical signals in an optical telecommunication network, comprising the steps of transmitting at least two signals over a common portion of said network, separating at least one of the signals from the remaining signals at at least one point of the network, compensating for the chromatic dispersion of this signal and recombining said signal with the remaining signals at said one point of the network. Preferably this method further comprises the steps of detecting the chromatic dispersion of each of the signals at at least one point of the network, identifying, among the signals, the signals to be compensated, for which the detected dispersion value does not fall within a range of predetermined values and compensating for the dispersion of said signals so as to make them fall within this range of predetermined values.