Patent ID: 7058311

Claim:
An optical communication system, comprising: a first transponder operable to receive a first electrical signal and to generate, based at least in part on the first electrical signal, an optical signal for communication to a multiple span communication link; a second transponder operable to receive from the multiple span communication link the optical signal, wherein the optical signal experiences at least partial dispersion compensation from an optical dispersion compensating element as it traverses the communication link, the second transponder operable to convert the optical signal into a second electrical signal; a first electronic dispersion compensation module coupled to the second transponder, the first electronic dispersion compensation module operable to provide electronic dispersion compensation to at least a portion of the second electrical signal to at least partially compensate for at least a portion of a residual dispersion for which the optical dispersion compensating element did not compensate; a controller coupled to the first electronic dispersion compensation module, the controller operable to generate at least one feedback signal, the at least one feedback signal identifying an amount of the residual dispersion in the optical signal received by the second transponder; and a second electronic dispersion compensation module coupled to the first transponder, the second electronic dispersion compensating module operable to receive the at least one feedback signal generated by the controller and to use the at least one feedback signal to provide electronic dispersion compensation to the first electrical signal used to generate the optical signal.