This review issue gives an accurate insight into the research work being carried out by the principal research and industrial establishments in our country, without claiming to offer a list of active researchers which is entirely complete. We believe the work herein will show a French research community which is active over a wide range of activities. The work presented covers fabrication of specialty fibres, fibre based components, test and characterisation and some more industrial aspects involving equipment providers. This Special Issue of Fiber an Integrated Optics, was appearing in three separate issues in 2008 and 2009.