What is MPO Fiber Connector

Data centers are the heart and brains of a commercial enterprise network. More and more larger companies are consolidating their data centers to minimise operating costs. Network uptime is critical, any interruption of ongoing systems can cause significant costs. Installing thousands of connectors in the field using adhesives can take a lot of labor time. To address this, a growing trend in data center cabling involves pre-connectorized cables, which are typically high fiber count cables that are pre-connected with multiple MPO connectors.

MPO fiber connector is one of the typical type of fiber connectors that mainly installed under factory conditions using specialized processes. The MPO connector is built on the MT-style ferrule, designed by NTT. The MT (mechanical transfer) ferrule is designed to hold up to 12 fibers in a ferrule 7mm wide and is ideally suitable for ribbon fiber connections. In addition, precision-machined guide pins maintain the close alignment necessary for connecting 12 fibers at once. These guide pins can be arranged as necessary between the mating connectors depending on the way they will be used. Connectors designed for multiple fibers are also known as array connectors. The MPO connector has a plastic body that is spring-loaded to keep the connectors together.

What is the different between MPO and MTP connector?
MPO was the first generation of multi-fiber connectors designed by NTT. It is now the name of the category of multi-fiber connectors produced by several companies. MTP brand connectors, however, is USCONEC’s trade name for their own superior style of MPO connector. MTP brand fiber system is an innovative group of products, which is designed and introduced as a performance version of MPO connectors. MTP brand connector contains 12 fibers of 6 duplex channels in a connector that is smaller than most duplex connections in use today. MTP brand connectors utilize precision molded ferrule which can connect from four to seventy-two fibers using either ribbon or subgroups loose-tube cable. Male MTP brand connectors are pre-installed with two precision guide pins to accommodate precision alignment when mating ferrules. MTP connectors are also utilizing a push-pull connector housing for quick and reliable connectors.

The IT planning group would survey the data center and order specific length of these pre-terminated cables. On installation today, the cables can be simply plugged into factory-assembled patch panel systems. These MPO pre-terminated high-fiber-count cables are commonly called plug-and-play solutions. In designing and costing your networks, it would be wise to compare the material and labor cost of these cables to the cost of bare cables, which require connector installation in the field.