What’s the difference between MTP® and MPO Connectors?

Compare MTP® to generic MPO connectors

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MTP® AND MPO?

A generic term and a specific brand

MPO

The term MPO stands for Multi-fibre Push On and is a specific interface type.

The MPO interface was developed to enable multi-fibre connectivity for higher density, higher bandwidth based applications requiring parallel or channel based optics.

12 and 24 fibre versions are currently used to direct connect into 40G and 100G transceivers and also used in high density fibre distribution areas.

Higher fibre versions are also available (48, 72 fibre) but their use and deployment is currently limited.

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MTP®

The MTP® connector is a specific brand of MPO connector that is owned by the industry leading US based optical R&D company US Conec.

Like MPO it is based on the MT (mechanical transfer) ferrule technology which was developed by Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT) during the 1980s.

The MTP connector is more expensive than other MPO connectors as it is designed and manufactured to give higher performance and a guaranteed long life. The “over-life” consistent high performance comes from the alignment tolerances and also the spring force that creates the physical contact.

Typically, US and European enterprises will specify the MTP connector whereas customers in the far east are more willing to accept a lower cost connector.

Genuine MTP (MPO) cable

We regularly receive calls from companies who purchase MTP® cables and on installation, find performance and quality issues due to non MTP® solutions being supplied. To help with this challenge, we offer an MTP® cable and component validation service, free of charge, to test and check any cable you may have bought to ensure it is manufactured using ‘GENUINE’ MTP® components.

Please contact us for more information

Independent verification and tests have continually re-enforced the MTP® connector as offering superior over-life performance when compared to standard MPO connectors.

This higher performance has resulted in wide adoption, not just by fibre cabling manufacturers, but also by switch, server and storage manufacturers.

Connecting to equipment with MTP® connectors is best done using optical fibre cables with MTP® connectors, although other MPO cables are likely to work but may not offer the same performance.

M400 MTP MPO CENTRE OM3 SR4 200G 12 Fibre Patch Cable

MTP® Connector 12 fibre

M400 MTP MPO CENTRE OM3 SR4 200G 24 Fibre Patch Cable Measurements

MTP® Connector 24 fibre

WHAT ARE THE DESIGN FEATURES OF THE MTP CONNECTOR?

Pins, springs, tolerances and product options

  • A floating ferrule that aids in accurate alignment and improves performance of mated ferrules under stressed load conditions.
  • Elliptical guide pins that allows for better alignment by improving mating guidance and reducing hole wear.
  • Removable housing allowing for smoother transition of gender types in the field and easier access to performance testing and re-work of the MT ferrule.
  • The MTP® connector has a metal pin clamp that centres and guides the push spring. This feature eliminates lost guide pins, centres the spring force and eliminates damage to fibre cables from the spring.
  • The MTP® connector spring design maxi-mizes ribbon clearance for twelve fibre and multi-fibre ribbon applications to prevent fibre damage.
  • The MTP® connector is offered with four standard variations of strain relief boots to meet a wide array of applications.

The MTP® connector is currently available in 4, 8, 12, 24, and 72 fibre densities for multimode fibre (50µm and 62.5µm core) and 4, 8, 12, and 24 fibre densities for single-mode fibre, as well as the MTP® Elite® (low-loss) single-mode connector in both 8 and 12 fibre densities.

It is also important to note that the MTP® connector complies with the MPO standard as outlined in IEC standard 61754-7 and TI-604-5 and is therefore a fully compliant MPO connector and can interconnect directly with other MPO based infrastructures.

MTP Floating Ferrule

Floating Ferrule (Image Rights –
US Conec)

Elliptical Guide Pin Comparison

Pin Comparison (image rights –
US Conec)

MTP Connector Housing

MTP Connector Housing (Image Rights – US Conec)

MTP Boot Variations

Boot variations (Image Rights –
US Conec)

LINKS TO SOME MTP (MPO) PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

MTP (MPO) cables support 10G to 400G

MTP MPO OM4 SR4 40G 100G 12 Fibre Patch Cable

40G and 100G

M1000 MTP MPO OM3 SR8 100G 24 Fibre Patch Cord

100G SR10 and PSM10

MTP 12 Fibre Elite Multimode Male Connector

MTP Gender Change

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Pins, springs, tolerances and product options

If you are discussing, commenting or specifying the use multi-fibre connectors:

  • MPO is an interface type. There are many connector manufacturers to choose from to get this connector.
  • The MTP® connector is one type of MPO connector. It is a brand owned by US Conec and used by most active equipment manufacturers and cabling companies.
  • There is an internationally recognised standard for MPO connectors.
  • MTP is fully compliant with the requirements of MPO standards.

If you are looking to connect to you active equipment (such as CISCO) then a cable with MTP connectors will give you the best over-life performance. Other MPO connectors should also work, but may not perform to the same level.

For further questions on the MTP® connector or any aspect of core or advanced fibre optic connectivity solutions then please get on touch.

At the time of going to press the following brands have deployed and reference the use of the MTP® connector within their products ranges (plus numerous others):
Active Equipment Manufacturers – CISCO, Bro-cade, Dell, HP, Arista, Juniper, Extreme

Cabling Manufacturers – Corning (pretium edge and plug and play), Commscope/Systimax 360, Complete Connect, Siemon, Molex, Belden.

It is possible to connect cables from different cabling manufacturers that use the MTP® connector in their range. However, a detailed understanding of how the polarity is managed within each manufacturer’s product range is required.


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