Abstract
This paper describes the results of an experimental investigation performed on a long-haul digital optical fiber link between two cities. The link is 176.3 km long and carries 140 Mbit/s digitally formatted signal. The link components have been explained in details. Power and bandwidth budgets are calculated to make sure there are no limitations. The system tests performed cover splice loss measurements, power measurements, and bit-error-rate measurement to test and evaluate the link. The test results are analyzed and compared to the design parameters, and several conclusions are drawn.