A low slope dispersion shifted optical waveguide fiber having an effective area of less than about 60 m² at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, a zero-dispersion wavelength of less than about 1430 nm, a dispersion of between about 4 ps/nm/km and about 10 ps/nm/km at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, a dispersion slope of less than 0.045 ps/nm²/km at a wavelength of about 1550 nm, and a cabled cutoff wavelength of less than about 1260 nm.