Unrepeatered systems: A high-tech and cost-effective solution for high-capacity transmission

The technical evolution. in the field of unrepeatered systems has been tremendous during the last few years owing to the advent of new technologies such as optical amplification, high power lasers, forward error correction, wavelength division multiplexing and large fibre count. This paper describes these technologies, presents the various network applications and addresses the benefits of unrepeatered systems. An example of record laboratory experiment demonstrates the current potential of such systems. Finally, further technological improvements to increase both capacity and distance are discussed since they are needed to meet the growing market demand.