What is an MPO connector?
MPO is the abbreviation of Multi-fiber Push On, the first generation of multi-core fiber optic connector designed by Japan NTT. Its main industry standard is IEC-61754-7, the current China standard is YD/T1272.5-2009, the U.S. standard is EIA/TIA-604-5.
Now there are various designs of MPO from various manufacturers in the market, and the performance and cost are very different. Some products have features that make their performance more outstanding. Some MPO connectors can be matched with many different brands of products, but some cannot, and this intermatching depends on how close the design of these connectors is to the standard products. The MPO connectors was developed to provide a multi fibre connectivity in one connector to support higher bandwidth and higher density applications. The most common fibre counts are 8fibers 12fibers and 24fbibers currently. MPO 48Fibers to 72fibers are possible but with limited applications. The next format due will be 16 & 32 fibre required for 400Gb applications.
For a complete definition of MPO connectors, please refer to IEC-61754-7 and EIA/TIA-604-5 (aka FOCIS 5).
What is an MTP® connector?
MTP is the abbreviation of Multi-fiber Termination Push-on, a trademark registered by US Conec for his own MPO connector, which has its own patent protection through several innovative designs and a lot of optimization of MPO connectors. Therefore, MTP connectors have better mechanical and optical performance than ordinary MPO connectors. MTP fiber connector is in complete compliance with all MPO connectors and is 100% inter-mateable, and meet the professional standards of MPO connectors are limited in performance and are not able to offer the high performance levels of EIA/TIA-604-5 FOCIS 5 and IEC-61754-7.
Why is MTP® connector superior to general MPO connector?
The MTP connectors are specially designed to provide improved performance and usability over MPO connectors. This design feature of MTP is unique and protected by patents.
The main features are as follows:
| MTP® Connector | MPO Connector |
| Removable outer frame – easy to replace, can be regroundImproved internal componentsHigh mechanical performance | Binding typeLow mechanical properties |
| Pin Clamp | |
| MTP embedded metal pin clamp and springs ensure proper spring retraction and pressure on the ferrule | MPO plastic pin clamp and spring is elastic and can easily move and damage the fiber optic tape, the spring cross section is not flat. |
| Spring | |
| MTP elliptical springs provide more fiber band clearance and improved mechanical performance, especially in fiber optic cable load testing | MPO round springs provide insufficient clearance for fiber optic bands, reducing mechanical performance and reliability |
| Durability test | |
| Typical MTP guild hole damaged after 600 insertions and removalsFloating ferruleOval head precision guide pins | Typical MPO guide hole damaged after 500 insertions and removalsSharp-edged guide pins |
MTP fiber optic connectors have a loose outer frame that can be easily removed.
The MTP ferrule design ensures no loss of performance when reworked or reground during production. The female and male can be flexibly changed after assembly or even in the field, and the ferrules can pass 3D interference test after assembly.
MTP connectors allow MT ferrule to float within the frame, improving transmission performance during mechanical docking. It allows two connectors to maintain good physical contact with each other under the influence of external forces, keeping the optical performance as much as possible without degradation.
The elliptical pin (PIN) of the MTP connector is made of stainless steel. The elliptical pin improves docking accuracy and reduces wear on the guide hole, making the MTP fiber optic connector more durable for high performance transmission.
MTP fiber optic connectors have a metal pin clamp inside to hold the push ring. This prevents the loss of the guide pin and concentrates the pressure generated by the spring, preventing the spring from touching and rubbing the fiber during mechanical expansion and contraction, resulting in fiber damage.
The spring design of MTP connectors maximizes the ribbon gap for 12 core and multi-core ribbon applications, thus preventing fiber from damage.
MTP fibre connector are available in at least four types of connector parts to adapt to different types of MTP cable types, more practically, including: round fiber optic cable with loose tube, ribbon cable with elliptical outer sheath, ribbon bare fiber and ultra-short boot connectors, which are ideal for applications in limited space, reducing the size by 45%.
Plugging reliability test comparison, after MTP connector plugging 600 times, the end face near the guide hole is basically intact; while MPO connector plugging 500 times, the end face near the guide hole has obvious breakage.
MPO/MTP fiber optic patch cord can be multimode or single mode, multimode MPO/MTP fiber optic patch cable can be used in 40G optical modules or higher transmission rate, such as 40G SR4/eSR4 multimode optical transceivers, 100G SR4 multi mode optical modules; single mode MPO fiber optic patchcord can be used in 40G PSM4, 100G PSM4.
FAQ
Is the MTP® connector an MPO connector?
Yes. The MTP connector is a high performance MPO connector engineered for better mechanical and optical performance.
What is an MTP® Elite?
The Elite version offers lower insertion loss compared to the standard MTP. The maximum for a mated pair is 0.35db vs 0.6db for Multimode, and 0.35db vs 0.75db for Singlemode fibre*.
*Typical IL achieved in production is far better, averaging 0.1db for SM on the Elite for example.
Can MT ferrules be cleaned in the conventional way?
The best way to clean the dust and oil that affect the optical performance of the MT ferrule is to use an advanced dry cloth cleaning kit, such as NTT-AT OPTIPOP. The cleaning method is simple because it only involves a single channel. When using the above cleaning kit, the contaminants will be completely removed. On the contrary, using low-quality cloth or cotton swabs can remove contaminants on the surface of the fiber, but the dirt will still remain on the edge of the ferrule and easily cause the end face of the ferrule to wear, causing serious data loss.
The OPTIPOP series cleaning kit is designed for male and female fiber connectors and can also be applied to single-core ceramic ferrules. The OPTIPOP box and card cleaners use refillable cleaning cotton cloths. The cleaners can be used for a long time and the cleaning cost is lower than traditional cleaning methods.
Are MTP and MPO compatible?
Yes, MTP (Multi-Fiber Termination Push-On) and MPO (Multi-Fiber Push-On) connectors are generally compatible with each other.
Can MTP and MPO cables be used for both single-mode and multi-mode applications?
Yes, MTP and MPO fiber optic cable assembly are widely used for both single-mode and multi-mode applications. Multi-mode MPO/MTP fiber patch cords can be used in optical modules above 40G, such as 40G SR4/eSR4 multi-mode optical modules, 100G SR4 multi-mode optical modules, and single-mode MPO patch cords can be used in 40G PSM4 and 100G PSM4.
Should high density cabling systems use MTP or MPO fiber?
For high-density cabling systems, MTP (Multi-Fiber Termination Push-On) fiber is often preferred over MPO (Multi-Fiber Push-On) fiber. The main reason is that MTP is a specific type of MPO connector that is designed with higher performance and density in mind.
