Patent ID: 7609969

Claim:
A method for dispersion compensation of an optical signal, comprising: receiving an optical signal comprising a plurality of channels, wherein the information being communicated in a first set of one or more of the channels is modulated using a first modulation technique and wherein the information being communicated in a second set of one or more of the channels is modulated using a second modulation technique; compensating for optical dispersion in the optical signal such that dispersion compensation for the first set of channels is complete for the first modulation technique and such that dispersion compensation for the second set of channels is incomplete for the second modulation technique; splitting the optical signal into at least a first copy of the optical signal and a second copy of the optical signal; terminating the second set of channels in the first copy; performing additional dispersion compensation on the second copy such that dispersion compensation for the second set of channels is complete for the second modulation technique; and terminating the first set of channels in the second copy.