A method for compensating for optical dispersion includes receiving an optical signal at a first node of an optical network that includes a first set of channels and a second set of channels that are each configured to be received using coherent digital receivers at a second node of the optical network. Each coherent digital receiver provides electronic dispersion compensation for the received channel at the second node. The method also includes forwarding the first set of channels from the first node without performing optical dispersion compensation on those channels. Furthermore, the method includes compensating for optical dispersion in the second set of channels at the first optical node and forwarding those channels from the first node. The optical dispersion compensation on the second set of channels at the first node provides dispersion compensation in addition to the compensation provided by the associated coherent digital receivers at the second node.