Exploiting the 1.5microns Wavelength Window

1. INTRODUCTION: Sub-gigabit 1.5microns technology has already been deployed in both stand-alone and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) configurations for high-capacity inter-office applications. Gigabit 1.5microns systems are being deployed and planned for in 1989 for the same range of applications. This paper discusses 1.5microns technology in terms of stand-alone (that is, single-channel) and 1.3/1.5microns two-channel WDM applications and the design considerations that are involved. It begins with a review of potential applications in Section 2. A general discussion of design considerations for the 1.5microns window is contained in Section 3, while Section 4 focuses specifically on WDM system design. A summary of deployment status is provided in Section 5, followed by conclusions in Section 6.