After a brief presentation of many possible solutions usable to control or compensate the chromatic dispersion of optical links, we report the simulation, realization, and characterization of a dual asymmetric core dispersion compensating optical fiber. The simulation stage, using a cylindrical coordinates B.P.M., determines the optimized refractive index profile of the dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) including the optogeometrical. tolerances, like the effect of the central index dip obtained by MCVD process. The realized fiber is characterized by phase shift method to measure its chromatic dispersion. The dispersion coefficient was measured to be -1800 ps/(nm-km) in the 1.55-mum low-loss window. A study of the propagation behavior and measurements of connection, propagation, and bending losses of this fiber are also presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).