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What are MPO patch cords and why they are so effective?

As data center bandwidth and network connectivity continue to rise, traditional fibre patch cords are no longer efficient to facilitate high-density data center requirements. To solve this problem, MPO (Multi-fibre Push-On) fibre that houses more fibres in a multi-fibre MPO connector was introduced as a practical solution for cabling in data centers. In this article, we’ll help you understand the basic types and differences between the various MPO fibre cords so you can determine which type of fibre cable is best for your network needs.

Why MPO patch cords are so efficient

Available in core counts of 8 to 144 fibre cores the cable is typically built using 8 fibre or 12 fibre sub-units which are housed in an outer sheath. This cable construction gives about 65% reduction in space when compared to traditional tight buffered or loose tube cables and similar reduction in weight. The cable also has a smaller bend radius which make this cable the best option for high density fibre applications, mainly because more cabling can be installed per cabinet/ cable tray.

The internal structure of an MPO patch cord

Type of MPO patch cords

MPO patch cord

MPO patch cords are widely used in data centers for connecting to high-speed MPO optical transceivers. They facilitate higher density network trasmission requirements by connecting to QSFP transcevers of up to 400G.

MPO trunk cord

MPO trunk cords are often used to centralize cabling in data centers with high-density fibre connections. The trunk cord is connected to multiple MPO patch cords by using an MPO adapter panels. The MPO trunk cord can integrate up to 12x12-core or 24-core MPO cords and supports maximum of 144 or 288 fibres.

MPO breakout cords

MPO breakout cords are mainly used for low bandwidth upgrading to high bandwidth conversions. All of these scenarios require the use of MPO breakout cords to connect one high-speed optical transceiver to four or eight low-speed optical transceivers as the data center expands from 10G to 40G, or from 25G to 100G, or even from 50G to 200G/400G.

Classification by fibre categories

MPO patch cord include multi-mode and single-mode types. Multimode cables are mainly used for indoor applications, such as buildings or campuses with maximum transmission distance at 40Git/s is up to 100m (OM3) or 150m (OM4). MPO single-mode optical cables are suitable for long-distance transmission and are widely deployed in operator networks, metropolitan area networks, and passive optical networks.

Classification by polarity

Polarity refers to the matching of the optical transmitter and receiver at each end of the fibre optic link. For fibre links to properly send data, the transmit signal at one end of the cable must match the corresponding receiver at the other end.

The purpose of any polarity scheme is to ensure this continuous uninterrupted connection. Industry standards call out three different polarity methods—Method A, Method B, and Method C. And each method uses different types of MPO patch cords.

Fibre count

MPO connectors can contain anywhere from 4,6,8,12 or 24 fibres, with 12- fibre arrays being the most common for enterprise data center applications like 40G and 100G.The higher the fibre count, the higher the transmission rate. This makes the MPO patch cord effective in transmitting heavy data, with fewer requirements of multiple cables.

MPO connectors

MPO connectors typically come in male or female types. The male connector consists of guide pins to facilitate the connection to female connectors which do not have guide pins, through an adaptor. They are a multi-fibre connectors defined according to IEC 61754-7 and TIA/EIA 604-5 that can accommodate up to 72 fibres in the tiniest of spaces, as compared to a standard RJ45 connector.These connectors are available in multiple configurations in an MPO patch cord. One end must be a male/female MPO connector, and the other end can be FC, ST, SC, LC, or MPO male/female.

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