The three concatenated coding schemes of the inner-outer type, the parallel type and the consecutive type to improve the current forward error correction (FEC) coding technologies are proposed for dense wavelengthdivision multiplexing (DWDM) systems, after introducing the development trend of DWDM optical communication systems. The concatenated code is theoretically analyzed. The theoretical analyses and simulation results show that inner-outer concatenated code has a greater redundancy and the decoding of parallel concatenated code is too complex. However, consecutive concatenated code is superior coding scheme with advantages such as better error correction performance, moderate redundancy and easy implementation, therefore it could be better used in high-speed and long-haul DWDM systems.