Abstract: A high-capacity optical fiber network [100, 200] includes wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) within the 1.4 micron (&mgr;m) wavelength region (i.e., 1335-1435 nm). Such a system includes optical fiber [130] whose peak loss in the 1.4 &mgr;m region is less than its loss at 1310 nm. The optical fiber has a zero dispersion wavelength (&lgr;0) at about 1310 nm, and linear dispersion between about 1.5 and 8.0 ps/nm-km within the 1.4 &mgr;m region. At least three WDM channels operate at 10 Gb/s in the 1.4 &mgr;m wavelength region and have a channel separation of 100 GHz. In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a broadcast television channel, having amplitude modulated vestigial sideband modulation, simultaneously operates in the 1.3 &mgr;m region (i.e., 1285-1335 nm) and/or the 1.55 &mgr;m region (i.e., 1500-1600 nm). In another embodiment of the invention, 16 digital data channels are multiplexed together in the 1.55 &mgr;m region, each channel operating at about 2.5 Gb/s.

Abstract: Simultaneous dense WDM operation in both the 1310 nm and 1550 nm transparency windows of silica-based optical fiber, is enabled by a fiber design providing for nulled dispersion within a critically positioned wavelength range. Design provides for values of dispersion in both windows sufficiently low for desired per-channel bit rate, and, at the same time, sufficiently high to maintain effects of non-linear dispersion within tolerable limits for WDM operation. Fiber fabrication and system design are described.