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Presented at AMTC 2000

ADVANCED OPTICAL FIBER FOR LONG DISTANCE


TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS
Christopher Towery
North American Market Development Manager
towerycr@corning.com
&
E. Alan Dowdell
European Market Development Manager
dowdellea@corning.com
Corning Incorporated
One Riverfront Plaza
Corning, NY 14831 USA

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I.

Introduction

Deregulation of the telecommunications industry throughout the world, combined with an


astronomical increase in demand for data services, has lead to a dramatic growth in the
telecommunications industry worldwide. This growth is manifest not only in the sheer number of
telecommunications companies and the route kilometers of their networks, but also in the amount
of data they can carry. This rapid growth has also lead to fierce competition. Carriers are now
struggling to build and maintain networks that will provide a flexible platform from which to
offer a myriad of services at the lowest cost possible.
The cabled fiber infrastructure of any major long distance telecommunications network is the
foundation upon which a carrier will build its business. Consequently, when faced with the
decision of building or expanding a network, a network engineer must take into account several
key decision factors. One of these decisions is choosing which optical fiber type to deploy. He
must be careful to balance the requirements of today with the potential technologies that may be
available tomorrow.
Consequently, a network planner must not only consider the multiple optical fiber types currently
available, but he or she must also have an eye on the natural evolution of network technologies
and how such technologies may be impacted by the optical fiber which has been deployed.
Although todays options offer a variety of performance and economic advantages, depending
on the configuration of the network, newer technologies may promise even more efficient and
lower cost transport.
II.

Types of Single-Mode Optical Fiber

There are three major classifications of single-mode optical fiber in use in todays
telecommunications networks. They are specified by the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU) as G.652 conventional single-mode fiber (SMF), G.653 dispersion-shifted fiber (DSF) and
G.655 non-zero dispersion-shifted fiber (NZ-DSF). The primary way to differentiate between
fiber types is by their chromatic dispersion. Chromatic dispersion is the linear phenomenon that
causes different wavelengths of light to travel at slightly different speeds, leading to pulse
expansion. As Figure 1 depicts, SMF was designed to operate at 1310nm with zero dispersion,
DSF was designed to operate at 1550nm with zero dispersion, and NZ-DSF was designed to
operate across a window of wavelengths near 1550nm with a small amount of dispersion.
Dispersion can limit transmission speeds and distance, but a small amount of dispersion is
required to reduce some detrimental non-linear effects such as four-wave mixing and cross-phase
modulation.

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Dispersion in Picoseconds per Kilometer

20
15

-DSF
Z
N
+
DSF
DSF
- NZ-

F
SM

S-band C-band

0
1310

1350

1400

1450

1500

1550

L-band

1600

1650

-5
-10
Wavelength in Nanometers
-15

Figure 1. Chromatic dispersion curves for SMF, DSF and NZ-DSF.


In addition to chromatic dispersion, other critical parameters of optical fiber that impact network
performance are attenuation, polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) and effective area (Aeff). PMD
occurs when the two orthogonal polarizations of an optical pulse travel with different velocities.
The Aeff of a fiber is loosely defined as the light-carrying region of the fiber. It is a critical
characteristic for determining the amount of optical power that can be launched into a fiber
before non-linear effects limit the transmission speed and the distance, and where optical-toelectrical-to-optical (OEO) regeneration must take place.
III.

Fiber Deployment Trends

The fiber cables that were deployed throughout the world until the early 1990s were primarily
low fiber count SMF cables. At the time, most of these networks were designed to carry a single
optical channel at 1310 nm. They operated at relatively low bit rates and extended up to a
maximum of 100 kilometers before OEO regeneration was required. However, carriers that
wanted to extend the distance between OEO regenerators looked to transmission at 1550 nm and
its accompanying lower attenuation when compared to 1310 nm. The use of 1550 nm as a
transmission wavelength resulted in some carriers choosing to deploy DSF fiber with its near
zero dispersion at 1550 nm.
By the mid-1990s several trends began to emerge as network builders rushed to meet the
demand for cost-effective bandwidth. First, long-haul carriers had begun wide deployment of
dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) equipment which, when coupled with optical
amplifiers, allowed multiple signals to be carried over long distances before costly OEO
regeneration. It is the widespread use of DWDM and optical amplifiers that has given rise to
carriers using NZ-DSF. A quick scan of the many recent press releases for such large network
builds as Level 3, i21, 360networks, COLT, Williams, Qwest, and AT&T reveals that NZ-DSF
has become the fiber of choice for deployment in new long distance network builds and

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expansions. Another interesting trend with these new network builds is the dramatic increase in
fiber count.
Whereas only a few years ago 48 fibers in a cable was considered sufficient, many of the new
networks are deploying cables with fiber counts in excess of 288 fibers. Coupling these high
fiber counts with the large number of new network builds and expansions, it becomes evident
that the vast majority of fiber now installed in national long haul networks is NZ-DSF.
IV.

Comparisons between SMF and NZ-DSF

The primary reasons why carriers are choosing to install NZ-DSF in their long haul backbone
networks are both technical and economic. NZ-DSF, due to lower dispersion in the 1550 nm
window than SMF, has only one quarter of the total dispersion compensation requirements of
SMF for a network to operate at its optimal level. Considering that most long haul networks are
operating at OC-192 (10Gbps) data rates and require more precise dispersion compensation than
OC-48 (2.5 Gbps), the cost savings of using an NZ-DSF fiber can be dramatic when compared to
utilizing SMF. This is true even when an expected higher cable cost for NZ-DSF is factored in.
Figure 2 shows the cost difference between lighting two pairs of SMF and two pairs of NZ-DSF
to be in excess of 57% in a typical point-to-point network with a total reach of 450 kilometers
and 90 kilometers between amplifiers. The reason for this differential is the added cost of bulk
dispersion compensation for SMF at every amplifier site. Dispersion compensation for NZ-DSF
occurs only at the transmitter/receiver sites. NZ-DSF reduced dispersion has other potential
advantages when compared to SMF.
Since NZ-DSF does not require dispersion compensation at every amplifier site, the mid-stage
access port on a dual stage amplifier becomes available for use by an optical networking device
such as cross-connects or add/drop multiplexers. In most SMF networks the use of a
conventional dispersion compensation module at an amplifier site will preclude the use of any
additional devices without purchasing or upgrading the amplifier at considerable cost.

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Cost per Gbps-km


(Normalized to 40ch C band LEAF)

1.800
1.600
1.400
1.200

DCM
Cable

1.000
0.800
0.600
0.400
0.200
0.000
40ch C Band LEAFfiber

40ch C Band SMF-28 fiber

Figure 2. Cable and dispersion compensation cost comparison for SMF and NZ-DSF in a typical
OC-192 network.
V.

Increasing the Capacity of Fiber

There are a variety of ways to increase the data carrying capacity of a single fiber: using tighter
spaced channels, increased TDM rates or using additional operating windows such as the Long
(L) or Short (S) Bands. A typical network today will use transmission equipment that operates at
OC-192 with 16 to 40 channels. These channels are spaced 100 Ghz apart in the conventional or
C-band (1530 nm to 1565 nm). The use of tighter spaced channels at 50 Ghz would double the
capacity of the fiber, but would also requires the use of more costly filters and lasers. Moving to
the L-band (1565 nm to 1625 nm ) adds more useable bandwidth, but at the cost of additional
amplifiers and dispersion compensation modules. These added components are more costly than
their C-band equivalent because both require more fiber in their construction; erbium doped fiber
in the case of the amplifier and dispersion compensating fiber in the case of the dispersion
compensating module. Increasing TDM rates from OC-192 to OC-768 (40 Gbps) adds nearly 4
times the capacity to a network, however the technological hurdles required before such systems
are commercially available maybe over a year out.

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Normalized Cost/(Gbps/Km)

1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
10 Gbps
10 Gbps
10 Gbps
40 Gbps
100 GHz
50 GHz
100 GHz
100 Ghz
C-Band
C-Band
C/L-Band
C-Band
Figure 3. Estimated cost comparisons per Gb/km for various TDM rates, channel spacing and
amplification windows.
As depicted in Figure 3, 100 Ghz spacing in the C-band is currently the most cost-effective
manner to carry data. As long as a carrier has access to installed fiber it would be a rational
decision to light up the next fiber using 100 Ghz C-band technology prior to moving to a more
costly alternatives, at least in the short-term. However, future price declines or increases in
demand may cause carriers to increase capacity on a single fiber beyond the 400 Gb/s which is
currently available utilizing todays 40 channel OC-192, 100 Ghz spaced, C-band technology. As
a result, and with the above upgrade paths in mind, it would be worthwhile to take a look at some
of the enabling technologies that will facilitate an increase in the cost-effective capacity of future
networks.
VI.

Raman Amplification

The basis of Raman amplification is the nonlinear Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS). SRS is
the scattering of light by molecules, in which the scattered light is shifted from the incoming
light by a frequency characteristic of the molecules. In a Raman amplifier, an optical carrier
signal interacts coherently with the silica molecules of an optical fiber that has been excited by a
high-power laser pump. This results in an amplification of the optical carrier. Since Raman
amplification can reduce the amplifier noise present in a network, there are several potential
advantages for its use. These advantages include longer distances between optical amplifiers,
longer distance between OEO regenerators, tighter channel spacing or an enabling of higher data
rates.

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Sig

Power (dB)

Lower
Launch
Power

Sig

na l
sw

na l
sw

itho

ut R

am
an

ith
Ra m
an

Higher signal power


during Raman amplification

ma
Ra

um
nP

Higher
signal
power
at
EDFA
Distance

Figure 4. Counter-propagating Raman pumps allow for the use of lower launch powers, while
increasing the signal strength arriving at the EDFA.
Although Raman amplification has been explored in laboratories for more than a decade, it has
been slow to reach widespread commercialization. Raman amplifiers have seen only limited use
in such applications as un-repeatered submarine systems. Because high-power laser pumps are
required, and for a variety of other technical reasons, Raman amplifiers have not been able to
compete with erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). However, the development of counterpropagating Raman pumps has made for a much more efficient geometry than earlier Raman
amplifiers utilizing co-propagating Raman pumps. A counter-propagating configuration is shown
in Figure 4. In a co-propagating geometry (pumping from the beginning of the span), the
growing signal power will quickly result in gain saturation. Consequently, a large increase in
pump power is needed to produce a small increase in Raman gain. By comparison, in a counterpropagating geometry where the Raman pump is fed from the end of the span, i.e. where the
signal power is much lower, Raman gain can build up much higher without saturating the
amplifier. This allows the use of much less pump power for a higher gain.
Raman amplifiers can be quite versatile because Raman gain can be generated in all types of
fiber. SMF, DSF, and NZ-DSF can all act as the gain medium, albeit with different pump
efficiencies. In addition, Raman amplifiers can allow for gain across a wide spectrum of
wavelengths by simply varying the associated Raman pump wavelength.
VII.

Forward Error Correction

Another technique that submarine networks have pioneered is Forward Error Correction (FEC).
For example, the demanding requirements for submarine systems have necessitated the use of
FEC for this market. These error correction algorithms add system margin to overcome
degradation and push longer distances. As terrestrial networks continue to challenge
transmission technologies, FEC will become more and more prominent there as well.
FEC techniques operate by adding redundancy to the transmitted signal. Basically, the incoming
signal is manipulated by a very complex algorithm that adds this redundancy in the form of
parity bits. In the case that the received signal takes a hit and several errors are detected, the
original signal can be reconstructed.

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Reed-Solomon codes are a common set of codes used in error correction schemes. The encoder
can take data symbols of a certain number of bits each and add information to a codeword [1]. A
Reed-Solomon encoder can work in either a single stage, or it may be strengthened by
concatenating and interleaving multiple codes as shown in Figure 5 [2].
ReedSolomon
encoder

data
source

transmission
channel

ReedSolomon
decoder

data
sink

Single Encoding Technique


data
source

ReedSolomon
encoder

interleaver

transmission
channel

data
sink

ReedSolomon
decoder

De interleaver

Concatenated Encoding Technique


Figure 5. Graphical representations for single and concatenated coding schemes
VIII. Duobinary Modulation
Another potential enhancement to optical transmission systems is the use of alternative
modulation formats. One scheme that shows promise is duobinary modulation.
A simple duobinary coding scheme is shown in Figure 6 [3].

1 bit delay
Encoder

duobinary
code

Decision 1
20, 11
Decision 2
00, 11
Receiver

Xor

Or
binary
code

1 bit delay
Decoder

Figure 6 - Simple duobinary coder

The binary input to the encoder is converted to a three level duobinary code in which there are no
transitions between the zero and the two level. The receiver contains two decision circuits to
detect the difference between the 0s and 1s, and the difference between the 1s and 2s. Finally
a decoder is used to re-constitute the original binary signal.

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Because the encoder prevents transitions between the zero-level and the two-level, the duobinary
format requires less bandwidth than the standard non-return to zero (NRZ) format. The
following power spectrum shows the relative bandwidth requirements of binary (NRZ) formats
versus duobinary.

binary
duobinary
-2Rb

-Rb

Rb

2Rb

Figure 7. Power spectrum of binary and duobinary codes (excluding DC component)


Rb = bit rate
One significant advantage of duobinary encoding is that since the signal uses approximately onehalf the bandwidth, the dispersion tolerance of a duobinary system is three to four times longer
than when NRZ formats are used [4]. Also, the narrower spectrum will also allow twice as many
channels in dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) systems to be packed into the
same bandwidth.

IX.

Advanced Fiber Designs

As carriers look to new amplifier and transmission technologies to increase the capacity and
distances that they can transmit information, optical fiber types will evolve to add further value
to a network. The design of optical fibers is a multi-dimensional balancing act which requires
precise tuning of a fibers optical characteristics to achieve a design that will maximize value
when installed a network. As an example, Corning LEAF fiber was designed to provide a
balance between a large effective area to minimize non-linear effects and a low dispersion across
the 1550 nm region to reduce the costs associated with dispersion compensation.
Although, it has been the case for submarine cable systems for many years, it is possible that
within a few years terrestrial networks may begin to employ dispersion managed cables. The use
of dispersion managed cable in a terrestrial network may be to facilitate very high TDM rates
such as 80 Gb/s. Such a terrestrial dispersion managed cable system would likely utilize two or
more different fibers distinctly optimized for different performance features. These systems
differ from those utilizing dispersion compensation modules in that the compensation is
accomplished in a distributed fashion as opposed to discrete placement of modules. Of course
there are numerous, primarily logistical, issues that have so far precluded the use of dispersion
managed cables terrestrially. However, there have been recent demonstrations of TDM rates up
to 80 Gb/s utilizing dispersion managed cable with very real implications for terrestrial use.
X.

Summary

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This paper has taken a brief look at the evolution of optical fiber used in todays terrestrial long
haul telecommunications networks. NZ-DSF has become the fiber of choice for new network
builds or expansions. This is primarily the result of economic and technical advantages over
SMF which allow a carrier more flexibility with respect to future optical networking
technologies, and reduced dispersion compensation requirements. Additionally, this paper
addressed emerging technologies for terrestrial networks such as Raman amplification, FEC, and
duobinary modulation. These advancements have the potential to increase transmission
distances and the data carrying capacity of fiber.

References:
[1] Lin and Costello, Error Control Coding: Fundamentals and Applications, Prentice-Hall
1983
[2] Sab and Fang, Concatenated Forward Error Correction Schemes for Long-Haul DWDM
Optical Transmission Systems, ECOC99
[3] Taylor, Neal, Internal Technical Report Duobinary Coding, BICC Cables Limited. April
1998.
[4] Katsaros et al, Experimental Demonstration of the Reduction of FWM with Duobinary
Modulation, ECOC99

AN7079

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