A straight-line single-wavelength 40Gbit/s soliton transmission experi
ment was conducted over right spans of 100km DS fibre without in-line
control nor local dispersion management. Q(2)-factors of > 17dB were m
easured at 800 km for two extreme cases of dispersion map over each am
plifier span. Power margins of 3dB at Q(2) > 16.2dB (BER < 10(10)) wer
e obtained over a 1nm wavelength-range.