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An approach to determine the optical modal gain spectra in multiple quantum-well semiconductor lasers based on InP in terms of the current at electrodes is presented. The link between the current at the electrodes and the density of carriers inside each quantum well was provided by rate equations with the inclusion of carrier transport effects. Description of hole dispersion is based on a 4 × 4 Luttinger–Kohn Hamiltonian and was done with the electrostatic effects of the carrier charges. Electrostatic effects were included via a self-consistent solution of electron and hole wave equations and the Poisson equation. The optical gain for the TE (transverse electric) mode has been determined with the inclusion of non-Markovian effects, Coulombic enhancement, and band-gap renormalization. The theoretical approach was compared with experimental measurements of the optical gain on a laser structure consisting of four quantum wells using the Hakki–Paoli method. The important role played by the leakage current was revealed when the results were compared. PACS No.: 73.63.Hs, 78.20.Bh, 78.20.Ci