The Next Steps In MTP® Connectivity

Continued Evolution of the MTP® Connector

Continued Evolution of the MTP® Connector

Modern Data Centers are adopting Spine-and-Leaf architectures for increasing East-West traffic and investing heavily in infrastructure to keep up with the growing bandwidth demands of consumers. To reduce costs and accelerate deployment timing, fully factory-terminated cabling options are being used in the Main, Horizontal, and Equipment Distribution Areas enabling faster and more consistent structured cabling installation.  However, the use of traditional MTP® connectors presents a challenge when designing provisions for connector protection and organization as is necessary for installation in buried conduit.  The form factor of the MTP® connector - well optimized for traditional structured cabling – is not ideal for highly-dense packaging and organization to achieve a connector packaging solution that is easily installed in conduit with near-max fill ratios.

See how the Fast Track MTP Connector enables new Data Center Innovations.

Traditional cabling to interconnect data centers has been accomplished with bulk cabling in ever-increasing fiber counts to populate limited duct space. When blunt cable or pigtail cables are used, the burden of hiring qualified splicers, maintaining equipment, and increasing project timelines due to fiber termination is placed on the end user.

In 2021, Corning, in collaboration with US Conec Ltd., brought to market a fully factory-terminated cable solution known as EDGE™ Rapid Connect that uses an innovative 24 fiber connector technology called the Fast Track™ MTP®.  The EDGE Rapid Connect solution with Fast Track MTP enables high-density packaging and connector protection for installation in buried conduit and congested data center pathways to enable accelerate cable assembly installation by fully eliminating splicing  while providing the same optical performance and ease-of-use as traditional MTP connectors. Using the Fast Track MTP, the pre-connectorized EDGE Rapid Connect cabling can accommodate up to 3 x 3,456f cables in a 4-inch conduit and be packaged in a water-proof, 600lbs tensile strength pulling grip that meets the same 19.46 inch minimum bend radius as the traditional 3,456f RocketRibbon® Extreme Density Fiber Cable.

Read more in our downloadable brochure.

Time studies involving the installation of over 200 EDGE™ Rapid Connect trunks have shown both ends of 3,456 fibers can be fully mated in their respective housings in one 8-hour workday with two technicians. Splicing the same fiber count cable with experienced labor takes 24-30 working hours, with increased consumables and risk to polarity management and fiber handling. This article will discuss MTP®/MPO connectivity and how a new connector technology, the Fast Track MTP, is being used to solve data center needs. Observation: Two technicians could patch 6,912f (2 x 3456 cables) in one OPE over the course of 8 hours. Thus, if one technician was on each end of only 1x 3456, the same coverage could be achieved.

The Evolution of the MPO/MTP Connector

The Evolution of the MPO/MTP Connector

Read more about the Evolution of the MPO/MTP Connector by clicking on the dates below.

  • 1988

    Since NTT released the MT Ferrule as a pre-engineered splice into commercial subscriber lines in 1988, MT Ferrule technology has evolved to answer multiple challenges in the market. In the 2000s, with the emergence of the MPO (Multifiber push-on) connector, data center installers and designers were able to increase fiber density and decrease installation time by switching from single fiber or duplex connectors to multi-fiber connecters in an 8 or12 fiber form factor. In addition to fiber density, as the transceiver roadmap increased from 10G to 40G requirements, parallel optics, introduced multiple fiber lanes for data transmission. This multi-lane method of sending and receiving data heralded a greater need for an efficient means of interconnection.

  • 1996

    In 1996, US Conec Ltd. released the MTP® connector brand — a family of advanced MPO connectors designed for 4, 8, and 12-fiber ribbon applications. That same year, the MPO format was standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and embraced by an industry thirsty for a better way to install, deploy, and manage high-density fiber networks. Corning adopted the MTP® in its Plug & Play™ cable portfolio for backbone, cross-connect, and breakout applications.

  • 1999

    In 1999, US Conec Ltd. introduced low-insertion-loss MTP® Elite connector components that not only improved on insertion loss from 0.75dB down to 0.35dB for single-mode applications and 0.60dB down to 0.35dB for multi-mode applications, but also reduced the sensitivity of the connector bodies from accidental bumps or pulls on the cable jacketing through a floating ferrule technology that allows the connector end-faces to remain in contact while the bodies can rotate relative to each other. It uses tight-tolerance elliptical guide pins to improve guidance and reduce performance-impacting ferrule pin bore wear and degradation. Corning was able to build on this technology to introduce the EDGE™ product line, an industry-leading, low-loss, high-density cabling solution that delivers premier optical performance and reliable signal power.

  • 2021

    In 2021, US Conec Ltd. designed a state-of-the-art connector having two rows of 12 fibers (2x12f) that brought simplified use to the MPO format by offering a small-profile, field-installed connector, all while leveraging the proven features and technology of US Conec’s MTP® connectors. With a novel design focused on simplicity and reliability, the small-profile of the Fast-Track MTP connector enables a reduced-size pulling grip for installation through restricted pathways. Corning, once again, leveraged this technology to deliver a new solution to the market in the form of EDGE™ Rapid Connect: a factory terminated, high fiber count cable solution that eliminates splicing and reduces installation time by 70%.

EDGE™ Rapid Connect Application

EDGE™ Rapid Connect Application

When designing a fully-factory terminated cable that could be used for a data center interconnect, a specific challenges had to be addressed.

  • The connectors had to be 100% protected from dust, debris, weather, and fluctuating temperature that are associated with a typical outside plant (OSP) installation environment.  
  • Insertion loss of the mated connector had to approach that of the incumbent splice and thus reduced relative to a traditional MTP
  • The connectors had to be packaged in a protective and pulling grip less than 2.0 inches in outside diameter that would allow three cable assemblies to fit in a single 4-inch conduit space.

It was apparent, even with multiple staggered groups, the standard 12f MPO footprint was not optimized for meeting the grip size requirement. To enable a compact pulling grip that will protect the connectors through a harsh outside plant installation, the Fast Track MTP was utilized. The Fast Track MTP reduces the number of physical connectors in half by combining 24 fibers in a single Elite® ferrule that has a max IL of 0.35dB.  To further reduce the outside diameter of the grip, the mechanical design allows the MTP connector body to be installed in the field after the cable is retained in the hardware (a 77% reduction in physical footprint of the MTP). To accommodate this, a thin secondary plastic “boot” is installed over the cable ribbon stack in the factory. The boot then serves as the basis for assembly and retention of the ferrule within the body of the connector. Once the boot is inserted into the rear of the MTP housing, capturing the MT ferrule in the process, the Fast Track MTP functions as a traditional 2x12 MTP® with a 12.5mm shroud and can be mated in a standard or reduced flange MTP Type-A adapter to interconnect with an Inside Plant (ISP) EDGE Rapid Connector Breakout cable. For quick and easy identification of ribbons while patching, each plastic boot is labeled with its respective connector number.  Compare the cable preparation involved, fiber identification, inconsistency of splices, and complexity of a splicing operation to that of the pre-measured, pre-connectorized patching platform in the following photographs. After installation into the cable path, the pulling grip is removed thus presenting the pre-connectorized ribbon fibers already sub-unitized, labeled, and ready to be installed in their respective housing adapters - no furcating, splitting, nor tools required).

Our all-new case study is loaded with real world metrics and examples, resulting in a savings of up to 70% on installation time when installing trunk cables between data center buildings. Download your Case Study today!

“Fast-Track MTP Connectors pack an extreme-density punch, and they plug in for the same low-loss connection every time.” - Steve Jenkins, Data Center Foreman, Litewave Communications

MTP Connector Product Overview

MTP Connector Product Overview

Designed with new Fast-Track MTP® Connectors and routable subunits, this rugged, high-density cabling solution is optimized to complete data center interconnects faster than ever. With trunk cabling offered in 864-3456f and breakout cabling from 96-864f, EDGE™ RC enables fast interconnection to breakout cables ending in either MTP® or LC presentation.  

EDGE™ RC Outdoor Transport Trunk

EDGE™ RC Outdoor Transport Trunk

• Fiber counts of 864, 1,728 and 3,456

• Factory terminated and tested

• 24 F Fast-Track MTP® connectors with ≤ 0.35 dB insertion loss per connector pair

• 2-inch diameter pulling grip enables three trunks to be pulled through a 4-inch conduit

Learn More

EDGE™ RC Indoor Breakout Trunk

EDGE™ RC Indoor Breakout Trunk

Available as:

• Plenum or LZSH flame rated (864 F only available in Riser/LSZH dual-rating)

• 24 F MTP® connectors to 12 F MTP connectors (24, 48, 432, 576 fiber counts) Learn More >

• 24 F MTP connectors to LC Duplex Uniboot connectors (96, 192, 288, 384 fiber counts) 
Learn More >

• Indoor Transport Trunks also available with 24-fiber Fast-Track MTP Connectors (864, 1728, 3456 fiber counts) Learn More >

EDGE Solutions

EDGE Solutions

• These high-density, preterminated optical cabling solutions offer industry-leading connector density.

• EDGE Housing – Available in 4U, 2U, and 1U

• EDGE Adapter Panels – Available in MTP adapters and LC adapters

• EDGE Modules – MTP to LC module with ≤ 1.0 dB insertion loss

Learn More

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