• By 2002, OFT IV (Kaminow and Li, 2002) dealt with extending the distance
and capacity envelope of transmission systems. Subtle nonlinear and disper-
sive effects, requiring mitigation or compensation in the optical and electrical
domains, were explored.
• The present edition of OFT, V, (Kaminow, Li, and Willner, 2008) moves the
series into the realm of network management and services, as well as employ-
ing optical communications for ever-shorter distances. Using the high band-
width capacity in a cost-effective manner for customer applications takes
center stage. In addition, many of the topics from earlier volumes are brought
up to date; and new areas of research which show promise of impact are
featured.
Although each edition has added new topics, ...