Field measurements of 10-Gb/s line-rate transmission on the Columbus-IIB submarine lightwave system

We report field measurements of virtually error-free transmission at 10 Gb/s line rate on the installed Columbus-IIB optically amplified submarine lightwave system. For 2100-km transmission an average experimental Q-factor of 18.8 dB was achieved. An eye margin (EM) of +80 mV at 10/sup -15/ bit-error-ratio (BER) was also measured. For 4200 km transmission the average experimental Q-factor was 16.0 dB. Implications for system operation at 10 Gb/s line rate are discussed. >