A report released by ElectroniCast Corp. of San Mateo, Calif., predicts that the global consumption value of dispersion-compensator modules will grow from $36.6 million in 1999 to $435.5 million by 2009. The report cites the advance to higher bit rates and dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) as contributing to the need for dispersion compensation.

Currently, dispersion-compensating fiber represents the majority of solutions: 89 percent of the $324.1 million, 1999 market. The report noted that dispersion-compensator modules -- based on fiber Bragg gratings or other filters -- offer other functions, including stabilization of 980-nm pump lasers, DWDM filtering and gain flattening of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers.