A method and system for compensating residual dispersion curvature in an optical communication network is disclosed. One embodiment employs two types of dispersion compensating fiber to reduce higher order terms in a residual dispersion profile. The two types of dispersion compensating fiber may be co-located in a dispersion compensation module positioned in each transmission fiber link. Alternatively, the two types of dispersion compensating fiber may be distributed across a span of the optical communication network.