Book excerpt: This comprehensive, modular treatment of the challenging issues involved in very high-speed optical transmission systems contains all the theory and practical design criteria required to optimise transmission system design. Each chapter covers the theoretical modelling of a given system; chapters are well supported by real-world worked examples and accompanied by MATLAB code and receiver design examples. Critical analysis and comparison of engineering solutions is presented, to make clear the principles underlying system performance optimisation, and a broad range of transmission systems is discussed, including the status and performance demands of the Terabit systems now entering the next generation market. Blending theoretical and practical considerations for high-speed fibre optic systems design, this is an indispensable reference for all forward-looking professionals and researchers in optical communications.