Statistical characterization of first-order and second-order polarization mode dispersion in a deployed buried optical fibre cable

Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) is a major impediment towards high speed data transmission in optical network systems. In order to plan and budget for network outages, an accurate analysis of PMD measurements is required. In this paper we experimentally characterize a deployed buried cable for both first and second-order polarization mode dispersion, and evaluate the statistical nature of first-order PMD using the Np/W-ratio together with the known p-value. Results show that the p-value and Np/W-ratio are opposite in behaviour in the presence of random mode coupling.