Abstract
By using an in-line erbium-doped fiber amplifier with a net gain of 20.5 dB, it was possible to transmit an 11 Gb/s NRZ signal over 151 km of dispersion-shifted fiber. The bit rate distance product of 1.66 Tb/s-km obtained for a single-laser link with optical amplifiers experiment is a substantial improvement over the previous record of 1.03 Tb/s-km. The measurements indicate that new systems optimization procedures, as well as the incorporation of additional optical isolators, are required in order to assure stable operation with minimum system degradations.< >