当前世界各地的电信工作者正在利用或是计划在某些地区的网络中利用波分复用（ＷＤＭ──ＷａｖｅｌｅｎｇｔｈＤｉｖｉｓｉｏｎＭｕｌｔｉｐｌｅｘｉｎｇ）技术。澳大利亚电信部门计划在昆士兰州的ＣｈａｒｌｏｔｔｅＳｔ（Ｂｒｉｓｂａｎｅ）Ｔｏｏｗｏｏｍｂａ光纤中继网络中进行现场试验。本文将对ＷＤＭ技术作一综述，阐明一些关键性概念，同时对ＷＤＭ元件及若干设计思想也子以讨论。最后着重叙述ＷＤＭ技术的主要应用领域，其中一些应用在将来的电信应用中未必能实现，然而从中可使我们对ＷＤＭ技术在来来的宽带通信系统中的适用范围有所了解。 Currently, telecommuters around the world are utilizing or planning to make use of WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology in networks in some areas. The Australian telecom unit plans to conduct field trials in the Toowoomba optical fiber relay network in CharlotteSt (Brisbane), Queensland. This article will give an overview of WDM technology to clarify some of the key concepts, as well as a discussion of WDM components and several design ideas. Finally, the main fields of application of WDM technology are described. Some of these applications may not be possible in future telecommunication applications. However, we can understand the scope of application of WDM technology in broadband communication systems.