How Many Fiber Connector Types Do You Know?

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Admin

Fibre optic connector that comes in various configurations and types is considered as an important component for the fibre optic cable. Generally speaking, different fibre cable connector types can be categorized according to different standards like the utilization, fibre count, fibre mode, transmission method, transmission media, boot length, polishing type termination way, etc. In this article, you will become familiar with the various types of fibre connectors, helping you make the right choice when purchasing in the future.

Common types of fibre connectors

The following five fibre connectors are the most commonly used. They are introduced below in order of popularity, from the most widespread to the most commonly used. Fibre cables with these optical connector types are usually used in data centres, telecom rooms, enterprise networks and so on.

LC Connector

A Lucent Connector (LC), as one SFF (small form factor) connector, possesses a 1.25 mm ferrule. The small footprint design gives these fibre optic connectors huge popularity in datacoms and makes them ideal for high-density applications. Many tend to move to high-efficiency cabling with LC fibre connectors nowadays. LC fibre optic connector is considered the most commonly used connector at present.

SC Connector

SC fibre connector was the first connector chosen for the TIA-568 standard and is a snap-in connector that latches with a simple push-pull motion. “SC” stands for “Square Connector” due to the “square-shaped” connector body. It adopts a 2.5mm ferrule, which is twice the size of the previous LC connector. SC fibre optic connector is ideally suited for datacoms and telecom applications including point-to-point and passive optical networking. Due to its excellent performance, the fibre optic SC connector remains the second most common connector for polarisation-maintenance applications.

MTP/MPO Fiber Connector

Unlike the previous two fibre optic connectors, the MTP/MPO fibre connector is a multi-fibre connector and larger than other connectors, which combines fibres from 12 to 24 fibres in a single rectangular ferrule. It’s often used in 40G and 100G high-bandwidth optical parallel connections. The MTP/MPO fibre connectors are complicated due to the key-up and key-down, male and female issues. You can refer to our white paper Understanding Polarity in MTP/MPO System to have a better understanding.

ST Connector

ST (Straight Tip) fibre optic connector was created and licensed by AT&T shortly after the arrival of the FC type. The ST optic connector holds the fibre with a ceramic, spring-loaded 2.5mm ferrule that stays in place with a half-twist bayonet mount. They are usually used in both long and short-distance applications such as campuses and building multimode fibre applications, corporate network environments, as well as military applications.

FC Connector

“FC” refers to the Ferrule Connector. FC fibre optic connector was the first optical fibre connector to use a ceramic ferrule. Unlike the plastic-bodied SC and LC connector, it utilizes a round screw-type fitment made from nickel-plated or stainless steel. The FC fibre optic connector end face relies on an alignment key for correct insertion and is then tightened into the adaptor/jack using a threaded collet. Despite the additional complexity both in manufacturing and installation, the FC connectors still provide the choice in precision instruments such as OTDRs, as well as the choice for single-mode fibre. It was initially intended for datacoms and telecoms applications but has been used less since the introduction of the SC and LC fibre optic connectors. The usage of both ST and FC connectors has declined in recent years.

The figure below shows the different connector styles:

Less common types of fibre connectors

The following fibre connectors are less commonly used; some are only utilised in specialised connection scenarios, while others have been phased out and are no longer in use.

MT-RJ Connector

Mechanical Transfer Registered Jack (MT-RJ) connector is a duplex connector that uses pins for alignment and has male and female versions. Constructed with plastic housing and provide for accurate alignment via their metal guide pins and plastic ferrules. Compared to a standard phone jack, the size of the MT-RJ connector is slightly smaller, making it easier to connect and disconnect. In addition, the MT-RJ fibre optic connector provides a lower termination cost and greater density for both electronics and cable management hardware compared to other singer-fibre terminations.

MU Connector

Like a miniature SC with a 1.25mm ferrule. Featuring a simple push-pull design and compact miniature body, the MU fibre optic connector is used for compacting multiple optical connectors and a self-retentive mechanism for backplane applications. You can get a customized high-power MT-RJ/MU fibre optic connector in FS.

DIN Connector

The DIN connector is round with pins arranged in a circular pattern. It encompasses several types of cables that plug into an interface to connect devices. Typically, a full-sized DIN connector has three to 14 pins with a diameter of 13.2 millimetres. It is applied to PC keyboards, MIDI instruments, and other specialized equipment.

E2000 Connector

The E2000 Connector is a push-pull coupling mechanism with an automatic metal shutter in the connector for dust and laser beam protection. One-piece design for easy and quick termination, the E2000 fibre optic connector is used for high safety and high power applications.

VSFF Connector

VSFF (Very Small Form Factor) connectors are compact fibre-optic connectors designed to save space while increasing port density, particularly in data centres. These connectors enable higher port densities by being smaller and more efficient than traditional connectors like the LC duplex. The three most common types of VSFF connectors are the CS®, SN®, and MDC connectors.

CS® Connector: The CS connector (Compact Small-form-factor) is an ultra-compact dual-fibre connector designed by SENKO. Its design is similar to that of the LC connector but with a smaller footprint. It is 40% smaller than the LC duplex, offering more space for cable management and improving airflow within the rack.

SN® Connector: Developed by SENKO, the SN connector (Senko Connector) offers high data rates and a compact form factor suitable for dense installations. With an automatic dust cover and a locking mechanism, it ensures excellent performance and reliability. It is compatible with 1.25mm ferrules and provides an upgrade path to 400G and beyond, with fibre density three times that of duplex LC.

MDC Connector: The MDC is a compact duplex connector introduced by US Conec, with a pin pitch of just 3.1mm. It utilises a 1.25mm industry-standard ferrule and offers a density three times that of LC connectors. The MDC is the specified optical connector interface for QSFP-DD and SFP-DD transceiver MSAs. On FS.com, you can buy the MDC Fiber Optic Cable with VSFF connector. It maximises 200G/400G data centre density utilisation.

D4 Connector

The D4 fibre optic connector is an early fibre optic connector, typically used for multiplexing and demultiplexing optical signals. It features a round metal housing with four fibre channels inside. The D4 connector is equipped with precise alignment mechanisms in both the plug and socket to ensure accurate fibre end-face alignment, thereby reducing insertion loss and return loss. Compared to modern fibre optic connectors, such as LC or MTP/MPO, it is significantly larger. It is therefore superseded.

ESCON Connector

In the early 1990s, IBM developed Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON), a serial, half-duplex optical interface designed for single-mode fibre systems. ESCON aimed to improve connectivity by integrating fibre optics into networks. The ESCON fibre connector uses a 2.5mm ferrule and pairs with SC or ST connectors via fibre adapters. However, ESCON connectors have gradually been replaced by more advanced connectors, such as Fibre Channel and other high-performance fibre interface standards.

FDDI Connector

The FDDI connector (Fibre Distributed Data Interface) was developed by the American National Standards Institute. It features an automatic dust cover and locking mechanism, along with a floating alignment structure, blind-mate design, and locking system, all of which provide excellent performance and reliability. The FDDI connector is also known as the MIC (Media Interface Connector).

Fibre Connectors Connect Without Adapter Panel

Compared to the above fibre optic connector types, Rosenberger Q-RMC and NEX10 connectors adopt a push-pull quick locking mechanism, which can realize quicker connection without using an adapter panel. They are designed for harsh environmental use.

Rosenberger Q-RMC Connector

Q-RMC, short for Rosenberger Multifiber Connector, is a new and robust industrial connector with the multi-fibre MT ferrule of the MTP®/MPO connector that can hold 24 fibre cores. This kind of very small form factor connector includes a push-pull closing mechanism, which makes the optic connector to be connected simpler and quicker even in tight areas, thus reducing installation times and the associated costs. The Q-RMC connector fulfils the requirements for protection class IP67, so it is waterproof, dustproof and resistant to corrosion. What’s more, the Q-RMC connector is suitable for use in areas with extreme temperatures thanks to its operating and storage temperature is up to -40~80℃. So, fibre cables with Q-RMC connectors can be used for industrial sites, minefields, mobile communication (FTTA), 5G Base stations, broadcast, smart grid cabling and so on.

Rosenberger NEX10 Connector

The Rosenberger NEX10 connector is suitable for an outdoor environment, and it is characterized by a compact size design plus waterproof, dustproof and anti-corrosion. This connector type supports a screw-type and a push-pull locking mechanism. The push-pull quick lock helps in achieving solid installation and easy removal without any tools. For the screw-type plug, there is a screw-locking mechanism, ideal for the plug and socket to keep a firm connection. Nowadays, FS introduces the industrial fibre optic patch cable with Rosenberger NEX10 connectors and its operating & storage temperature for connectors & outdoor cables lie between -40~80℃, which is often used in industrial sites, minefields, small sales, distributed antenna systems(DAS), In-building architecture, and MIMO.

Both single-mode and multimode Q-RMC/NEX10 connectors are available in FS. You can also choose an optical fibre type cable jacket according to your needs to get a customized industrial fibre optic cable.

Fiber Count: Simplex vs Duplex Fiber Connectors

A simplex connection means signals are sent in one direction—a signal is transmitted through two simplex connectors and a simplex fibre cable from device A to device B, which cannot return from device B to device A via the same route. Contrariwise, the revised transmission can be achieved through duplex connectors and duplex fibre cable, which is called a duplex connection. In addition, a simplex fibre optic connector is often connected with one strand of glass or plastic fibre, while the duplex fibre optic connector needs to connect with two strands of fibres.

Fiber Mode: Single Mode vs Multimode Fiber Connectors

Single-mode fibre allows only one light mode to pass through at a time, while multimode fibre can propagate multiple modes at a time. Diversity has an impact on single-mode fibre connectors and multimode fibre connectors on account of the combination with the corresponding type of optical fibre. However, with technologies getting advanced, fibre optic connectors like SC, LC, and FC, provided by fibre optic connector factories are compatible with single-mode and multimode fibre cables.

Boot Length: Standard Boot vs Short Boot Connectors

As for the boot length, there are standard boot structures and short boot structures. A standard boot can protect the cable and the connector from being damaged, wires being dislodged from the connector body, etc. While a short boot has the same function, it is distinguished by a shorter boot structure. For places where there is limited space for connectors, short boot cables can be the ideal choice. The short boot structure design can make the cable easily pass through the narrow space without sacrificing performance, making the installation and maintenance of the fibre optic cables more efficient.

FS offers high quality short boot fiber optic patch cables. Precision zirconia ferrule connectors ensure low loss with bend-insensitive fibers with a minimum bend radius of 7.5mm, a 60% reduction in boot length and a 30% reduction in overall connector length. They are ideal for high-density cabling applications where space is at a premium.

Polishment: APC/PC/UPC Fiber Optic Connectors

According to the polishing type, optical fibre cable connectors can be divided into three types: PC, UPC, and APC connectors. The colour code provides a convenient method to identify these three types of connectors: the PC’s colour code is black, the colour code for the APC fibre connector is green, and the UPC’s connector is blue. The structure and the performance of the three fibre optic connectors also vary, which reflects the values of insertion loss and return loss. PC vs UPC vs APC. This article sheds light on these connector types and their differences for you.

Termination: Field-terminated vs Pre-terminated Fiber Connectors

Field termination, as its name implies, is to terminate the end of the fibre in the field. The procedure includes stripping the cable, prepping the epoxy, applying the connector, polishing, inspecting and testing for the connection, requiring not only a large number of tools but also skilled technicians to conduct the termination.Factory termination, also called factory pre-termination, refers to cables and fibres terminated with a connector in the factory. The pre-terminated cables come in pre-measured lengths with the fibre optic connectors already installed with factory-level precision and quality assurance. Reducing the cumbersome process and tools, factory pre-terminated solutions are easier to install and require less technical skills.

How to Choose Different Fibre Optic Connector Types

After understanding the many types of fibre optic connectors, there are several factors to consider when choosing a fibre optic connector type. Different connector types are suitable for different needs, so careful comparison and analysis are required when making a selection.

Performance Characteristics

Connector types can vary in transmission performance, with certain ones being ideal for long-distance transmission and others better suited for short-range use. Therefore, it is essential to determine the necessary transmission performance based on actual requirements when selecting a connector.

Applicable Scene

The applicable scene is also an important consideration in selecting the connector type. For example, in the data center environment, you may need to use high-density connectors to meet the needs of a large number of fiber optic connections; and in outdoor or harsh environments, you need to choose a connector with waterproof and dustproof features. SC/APC connectors may be preferred in passive optical networks (PONs) for their ability to offer higher return loss, thereby aiding in the prevention of signal reflection. On the other hand, in fibre distribution systems catering to a large number of subscribers, MTP/MPO connectors may be more appropriate due to their support for high port density connections.

Cost

Different types of connectors may have different manufacturing processes, material costs, etc., so the relationship between performance and cost needs to be weighed when choosing.

Compatibility

Various devices might be designed to work with certain types of connectors. It’s important to take into account the compatibility with current device interfaces when choosing a connector. For instance, while some devices may typically use LC connectors, others might rely on SC connectors, making it vital to maintain connector uniformity in network design.

By carefully considering these factors, you can ensure that the selected connector provides optimal performance and reliability in specific scenarios.

FS offers a variety of fibre optic connectors along with customisation services to meet the needs of different users. Copper cables, various fibre cleaning and testing tools, and patch panels are also available for purchase in the FS online store. Additionally, the FS expert team can create tailored cabling solutions to help you swiftly upgrade your network equipment.

conclusion

In conclusion, fibre optic connectors play a crucial role in optical communications. Each type of fibre optic connector has its unique characteristics and applications. When selecting and using them, making appropriate choices based on specific requirements and conditions is important.

How to Repair the Accidentally Cut Fibre Optic Cable?

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Admin

Fibre optic cable can be accidentally damaged, cut or smashed. According to the Electronic Technicians Association, one of the main causes of optical fibre failure is “backhoe fade”, during which the optical fibre cable is cut or damaged while digging. For this occasion, you can easily look for a backhoe and get the cut cable.

This article will provide a detailed guide on how to repair damaged fibre optics and the tools required. Additionally, it will briefly explain the importance of maintaining fibre health. Here are a few tools and steps suggested for you to repair broken fibre optic cable.

Fibre Optic Cable Repair Kits That You May Need

(1) OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer)

The OTDR is widely used for the measurement of fibre length, transmission attenuation, joint attenuation and fault location. For more information about OTDR, please refer to Working Principle and Characteristics of OTDR.

(2) Fibre Optic Cutter / Stripper

fibre optic cable cutter and fibre optic stripper are important tools in the fibre optic splicing and some other fibre optic cable cutting applications.

(3) High Precision Fibre Optic Cleaver

Fibre optic cleaver is used to cut the fibreglass for fusion splicing, also ideal for preparing fibre for pre-polished connectors to make a good end face. So it is very important in the fibre splicing process, and it usually works together with the fusion splicer to meet the end’s needs.

(4) Fusion Splicer

Fibre optic fusion splicer may be the act of joining two optical fibres end-to-end using heat. The machine is to fuse both the fibres together in such a way that light passing with the fibres is not scattered or reflected back from the splice.

Steps to Repair fibre Optic Cable

Step 1: Use OTDR to Identify the Break in Fibre Optic Cable

The first thing you need to do is to look for the break in your fibre optic cables. Commonly, the fibre-optic technicians utilize a device which is known as an OTDR. With the ability to work like radar which sends a light pulse right down to the optical fibre cable. It will be deflected to your device when it encounters break. It helps technicians know the position of the break.

Step 2: Use Fibre Optic Cutter to Cut Out the Damaged fibre Optic Cable

After knowing the location of the break, you should dig up the fibre optic cables with the break. The fibre optic cutter is used to cut out the damaged section.

Step 3: Strip the Fibre Optic Cable by fibre Optic Stripper

You should use fibre optic stripper to strip the fibre on the both end and peel the jacket gently to expose the fibre-optic tube inside. Then, cut any sheath and yarn by fibre optic cutting tools.

Step 4: Trim Any Damage on the Optical fibre Ends by High Precision Fibre Cleaver

The following picture lists the main 6 steps for fibre cleaving by high precision fibre cleaver.

Step 5: Clean the Striped Fibre Optic Cable

This step is crucial to ensure that your terminal will get a clean wire strip. You have to clean the stripped fibre with alcohol and lint-free wipes. Ensure that the fibre doesn’t touch anything.

Step 6: Splice the Fibre Optic Cable

Generally, there are two methods to splice optical fibre cable: (1) mechanical splicing; (2) fusion splicing.

(1) Mechanical Splicing

If you want to produce a mechanical connection, you need to put inline splice quick-connect fibre-optic connectors to the fibre. Hold the two fibres ends in a precisely aligned position thus enabling light to pass from one fibre into the other. (Typical loss: 0.3 dB)

(2) Fusion Splicing

In fusion splicing, a fusion splicer is used to precisely align the two fibre ends. You have to convey a fusion splice protector to the fibre, and place the fibres which is spliced within the fusion splicer. Then, the fibre ends are “fused” or “welded” together using some type of heat or electric arc. This produces a continuous connection between the fibres enabling very low loss light transmission. (Typical loss: 0.1 dB)

Step 7: Perform the Connection Test of Fibre Optic Cable with OTDR

The very last thing would be to see the connection of fibre-optic using the OTDR. Then put back those splices into the splice enclosure. Close the enclosure after which rebury the fibre optic cables.

Proactively Assess the ‘Health’ of Fibre Optics

Maintaining fibre optic cables in good condition is essential for ensuring long-term optimal performance. Environmental factors such as weather, temperature fluctuations, and mechanical movement can cause physical wear on fibre cables. These external influences may lead to fibre breakage or bend loss, with issues either appearing suddenly or accumulating gradually over time.

While human-caused breaks are unavoidable, detecting problems before service disruption occurs offers an opportunity to prevent failures. Therefore, maintaining fibre health is necessary, and some common maintenance methods include:

Regularly inspecting the lines and using tools like an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) to test for visible damage is crucial.
Regular cleaning with specific fibre optic cleaners to prolong cable life.
Following detailed steps and using precision tools when repairs are needed to ensure successful data transmission recovery. Remember, the goal is not only to repair but also to preserve the integrity of the fibre infrastructure.

Conclusion

The failure of the optical fibre cable will lead to an interruption in data transmission, so fixing the damaged optical cable in time is an important task. After going through the steps for repairing the fibre optic cable, you may wonder whether you should choose mechanical splicing or fusion splicing. Here the suggestion is if the price is not a factor, you should go with fusion splicing since the signal loss is low. If you have a tight budget, you can consider mechanical splicing, which doesn’t require an expensive tool.

At FS, you can not only purchase a wide range of fibre optic cables, but also find tools for maintaining, testing, and repairing them. All of our products undergo rigorous testing, as FS is committed to ensuring that customers receive high-quality items. If needed, our technicians are always available to answer any questions and assist with troubleshooting.

Unveiling the Advantages and Disadvantages of Optical Fibre

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Admin

Optical fibre is rising in both telecommunication and data communication due to its unsurpassed advantages: faster speed with less attenuation, less impervious to electromagnetic interference (EMI), smaller size and greater information carrying capacity. The unceasing bandwidth needs, on the other hand, are also yielding significant growth in optical fibre demands. Let’s take a review of common fibre optic cable types, explore the advantages and disadvantages of optical fibre, and learn tips on selecting fibre optic cable.

What Is Optical Fibre?

Optical fibre uses light pulses instead of electrical pulses to transmit information, thus delivering hundreds of times higher bandwidth than traditional electrical systems. Fibre optic cable can be protected by sheathing and armour to make it resistant to harsh environmental conditions. Hence it is widely adopted in commercial business, governments, military and many other industries for voice, video and data transmission.

How Optical Fibre Works

The working principle of optical fibre is based on the phenomenon of total internal reflection of light. When light enters the core with a higher refractive index and strikes the boundary with the cladding, which has a lower refractive index, at an angle greater than the critical angle, it is reflected entirely within the core rather than passing through the boundary. This total internal reflection allows the light to propagate through the fibre’s core, enabling efficient transmission of light signals even through bends and curves.

Common Fibre Optic Cable Types

Generally, there are three types of fibre optic cables: the two glass optical fibre—single mode fibre optic cable and multimode optical fibre, as well as plastic optical fibre (POF).

Single Mode Fibre Optic Cable

The “mode” in fibre optic cable refers to the path in which light travels. Single mode fibre has a smaller core diameter of 9 microns (8.3 microns to be exact) and only allows a single wavelength and pathway for light to travel, which greatly decreases light reflections and lowers attenuation. Slightly more expensive than its multimode counterparts, single mode fibre optic cable is often used in network connections over long lengths.

Multimode Fibre Optic Cable

Multimode optical fibre has a larger core diameter than that of single mode fibre optic cable, which allows multiple pathways and several wavelengths of light to be transmitted. Multimode optical fibre is available in two sizes, 50 microns and 62.5 microns. It is commonly used for short distances, including patch cable applications such as fibre to the desktop or patch panel to equipment, data and audio/video applications in LANs. According to the fibre refractive index distribution, multimode fibre can be divided into two types: Step-Index Multimode fibre vs Graded-Index Multimode fibre.

Plastic Optical Fibre (POF)

POF is a large core step-index optical fibre with a typical diameter of 1 mm. The large size enables it to easily couple lots of light from sources and connectors that do not need to be high precision. So typical connector costs are 10-20% as much as for glass fibres and termination is simple. Being plastic, it is more durable and can be installed in minutes with minimal tools and training. For applications do not require high bandwidth over great distances, POF is more competitive, making it a viable option for desktop LAN connections and low speed short links.

FS offers single-mode and multi-mode patch cables, covering a variety of types including OS2, OM1, OM2, OM3, OM4, and OM5, with customisation services available. Additionally, various specialised patch cables are available for purchase, such as armoured, industrial, and high-density options. All FS patch cables undergo rigorous testing to ensure you receive a high-quality product.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Optical Fibre

Though optical fibre has speed and bandwidth advantages over copper cable, it also contains some drawbacks. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of optical fibre cable.

Advantages of Optical Fibre

Greater bandwidth & faster speed—Optical fibre cable supports extremely high bandwidth and speed. The large amount of information that can be transmitted per unit of optical fibre cable is its most significant advantage.

Cheap—Long, continuous miles of optical fibre cable can be made cheaper than equivalent lengths of copper wire. With numerous vendors swarm to compete for the market share, optical cable price would sure to drop.

Thinner and light-weighted—Optical fibre is thinner, and can be drawn to smaller diameters than copper wire. They are of smaller size and light weight than a comparable copper wire cable, offering a better fit for places where space is a concern.

Higher carrying capacity—Because optical fibres are much thinner than copper wires, more fibres can be bundled into a given-diameter cable. This allows more phone lines to go over the same cable or more channels to come through the cable into your cable TV box.

Less signal degradation— The loss of signal in optical fibre is less than that in copper wire.

Light signals—Unlike electrical signals transmitted in copper wires, light signals from one fibre do not interfere with those of other fibres in the same fibre cable. This means clearer phone conversations or TV reception.

Long lifespan—Optical fibres usually have a longer life cycle for over 100 years.

Disadvantages of Optical Fibre

Low power—Light emitting sources are limited to low power. Although high power emitters are available to improve power supply, it would add extra cost.

Fragility—Optical fibre is rather fragile and more vulnerable to damage compared to copper wires. You’d better not to twist or bend fibre optic cables too tightly.

Distance — The distance between the transmitter and receiver should be kept short or repeaters are needed to boost the signal.

How to Select the Right Optical Fibre Cable?

Optical fibre cable has gained much momentum in communication networks, and there emerges a dazzling array of vendors competing to manufacture and supply fibre optic cables. When selecting optical fibre, you’d better start with a reliable vendor and then consider the selection criteria. Here’s a guide to clarify some of the confusions about choosing fibre optic cable.

Check Manufacturer Qualification

The major optical cable manufacturers should be granted ISO9001 quality system certification, ISO4001 international environment system certification, the ROHS, the relevant national and international institutions certification such as the Ministry of Information Industry, UL certification and etc.

Fibre Mode: Single Mode or Multimode

As illustrated above, single mode fibre is often used for long distances while multimode optical fibre is commonly used for short range. Moreover, the system cost and installation cost change with different fibre modes. You can refer to Single Mode vs Multimode fibre: What’s the Difference? and then decide which fibre mode you need.

Optical Cable Jackets: OFNR, OFNP, or LSZH

The standard jacket type of optical cable is OFNR, which stands for “Optical fibre Non-conductive Riser”. Besides, optical fibres are also available with OFNP, or plenum jackets, which are suitable for use in plenum environments such as drop-ceilings or raised floors. Another jacket option is LSZH. Short for “Low Smoke Zero Halogen”, it is made from special compounds which give off very little smoke and no toxic when put on fire. So always refer to the local fire code authority to clarify the installation requirement before choosing the jacket type.

Optical Fibre Internal Construction: Tight Pack or Breakout or Assembly or Loose Tube

Tight pack cables are also known as distribution style cables, features that all buffered fibres under a single jacket with strength members for Enclosure to Enclosure and Conduit under Grade installations. Breakout fibre cable or fan out cable is applicable for Device to Device applications with tough and durable advantages. Assembly or zip cord construction is often used for making optic patch cables and short breakout runs. While loose tube construction is a Telco standard used in the telecommunications industry.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

The choice greatly depends on your application. The major difference between indoor and outdoor fibre cable is water blocking feature. Outdoor cables are designed to protect the fibres from years of exposure to moisture. However, nowadays there have been cables with both dry water-blocked outdoor features and indoor designs. For example, in a campus environment, you can get cables with two jackets: an outer PE jacket that withstands moisture and an inner PVC jacket that is UL-rated for fire retardancy.

Fibre Count

Both indoor and outdoor fibre cable have a vast option of fibre count ranging from 4-144 fibres. If your fibre demand exceeds this range, you can custom the fibre count for indoor or outdoor optical cable. Unless you are making fibre patch cords or hooking up a simple link with two fibres, it is highly recommended to get some spare fibres.

Conclusion

Optical fibre provides a fast, constant and stable Internet connection that allows a lot of data to be transmitted over incredible distances. As data demands become enormous, fibre optic cabling is the sure way to go for network flexibility and stability.

FS offers a wide range of network devices and can also customise products to meet specific user needs. Our expert team can design tailored solutions for building cost-effective and high-quality networks. Visit the FS website now to learn more about our products and solutions. Our professional technicians are always available to answer any questions you may have.

Accelerating Data Centers: FS Unveils Next-Gen 400G Solutions

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Admin

As large-scale data centers transition to faster and more scalable infrastructures and with the rapid adoption of hyperscale cloud infrastructures and services, existing 100G networks fall short in meeting current demands. As the next-generation mainstream port technology, 400G significantly increases network bandwidth, enhances link utilization, and assists operators, OTT providers, and other clients in effectively managing unprecedented data traffic growth.

To meet the demand for higher data rates, FS has been actively developing a series of 400G products, including 400G switches, optical modules, cables, and network adapters.

FS 400G Switches

The emergence of 400G data center switches has facilitated the transition from 100G to 400G in data centers, providing flexibility for building large-scale leaf and spine designs while reducing the total number of network devices. This reduction can save costs and decrease power consumption. Whether it’s the powerful N9510-64D or the versatile N9550 series, FS 400G data center switches can deliver the performance and flexibility required for today’s data-intensive applications.

Of particular note is that, as open network switches, the N8550 and N9550 series switches can enhance flexibility by freely choosing preferred operating systems. They are designed to meet customer requirements by providing comprehensive support for L3 features, SONiC and Broadcom chips, and data center functionalities. Additionally, FS offers PicOS-based open network switch operating system solutions, which provide a more flexible, programmable, and scalable network operating system (NOS) at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO).

FS 400G Transceivers

FS offers two different types of packaging for its 400G transceivers: QSFP-DD and OSFP, developed to support 400G with performance as their hallmark. Additionally, FS provides CFP2 DCO transceivers for coherent transmission at various rates (100G/200G/400G) in DWDM applications. Moreover, FS has developed InfiniBand cables and transceivers to enhance the performance of HPC networks, meeting the requirements for high bandwidth, low latency, and highly reliable connections.

FS conducts rigorous testing on its 400G optical modules using advanced analytical equipment, including TX/RX testing, temperature measurement, rate testing, and spectrometer evaluation tests, to ensure the performance and compatibility of the optical modules.

FS 400G Cables

When planning 400G Ethernet cabling or connection schemes, it’s essential to choose devices with low insertion loss and good return loss to meet the performance requirements of high-density data center links. FS offers various wiring options, including DAC/AOC cables and breakout cables. FS DAC/AOC breakout cables provide three connection types to meet high-density requirements for standard and combination connector configurations: 4x100G, 2x200G, and 8x50G. Their low insertion loss and ultra-low crosstalk effectively enhance transmission performance, while their high bend flexibility offers cost-effective solutions for short links.

FS 400G Network Adapters

FS 400G network adapters utilize the industry-leading ConnectX-7 series cards. The ConnectX-7 VPI card offers a 400Gb/s port for InfiniBand, ultra-low latency, and delivers between 330 to 3.7 billion messages per second, enabling top performance and flexibility to meet the growing demands of data center applications. In addition to all existing innovative features from previous versions, the ConnectX-7 card also provides numerous enhanced functionalities to further boost performance and scalability.

FS 400G Networking Soluitons

To maximize the utilization of the 400G product series, FS offers comprehensive 400G network solutions, such as solutions tailored for upgrading from 100G to high-density 400G data centers. These solutions provide diverse and adaptable networking options customized for cloud data centers. They are designed to tackle the continuous increase in data center traffic and the growing need for high-bandwidth solutions in extensive 400G data center networks.

For more information about FS 400G products, please read FS 400G Product Family Introduction.

How FS Can Help

Register for an FS account now, choose from our range of 400G products and solutions tailored to your needs, and effortlessly upgrade your network.

Choosing the Right MTP/MPO Cable: A Guide to Core Numbers

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Admin

Choosing the right MTP/MPO cable ensures efficient and reliable data transmission in today’s fast-paced digital world. With the increasing demand for high-speed connectivity, it is essential to understand the importance of core numbers in MTP/MPO cables. In this guide, we will explore the significance of core numbers and provide valuable insights to help you decide when selecting the right MTP/MPO cable for your specific needs. Whether setting up a data center or upgrading your existing network infrastructure, this article will serve as a comprehensive resource to assist you in choosing the right MTP/MPO cable.

What is an MTP/MPO cable

An MTP/MPO cable is a high-density fiber optic cable that is commonly used in data centers and telecommunications networks. It is designed to provide a quick and efficient way to connect multiple fibers in a single connector.

MPO and MTP cables have many attributes in common, which is why both are so popular. The key defining characteristic is that these cables have pre-terminated fibers with standardized connectors. While other fiber optic cables have to be painstakingly arrayed and installed at each node in a data center, these cables are practically plug-and-play. To have that convenience while still providing the highest levels of performance makes them a top choice for many data center applications.

How Many Types of MTP/MPO cables

MTP/MPO cables consist of connectors and optical fibers ready to connect. When it comes to types, MTP/MPO fiber cables fall on MTP/MPO trunk cables and MTP/MPO harness/breakout cables.

MTP/MPO trunk cables

MTP/MPO trunk cables, typically used for creating backbone and horizontal interconnections, have an MTP/MPO connector on both ends and are available from 8 fibers up to 48 in one cable.

MTP/MPO Harness/Breakout Cables

Harness/Breakout cables are used to break out the MTP/MPO connector into individual connectors, allowing for easy connection to equipment. MTP/MPO conversion cables are used to convert between different connector types, such as MTP to LC or MTP to SC.

The MTP/MPO cables also come in different configurations, such as 8-core, 12-core, 16-core, 32-core, and more, depending on the specific needs of the application. This flexibility in configurations enables users to tailor their choices according to the scale and performance requirements of their networks or data centers. As technology advances, the configurations of MTP/MPO cables continually evolve to meet the increasing demands of data transmission.

How to Choose MTP/MPO cables

Selecting the appropriate core number for MTP/MPO cables resonates throughout the efficiency and performance of networks. In this section, we’ll delve into the decision-making factors surrounding core numbers in cables.

Network Requirements and Data Transmission Goals

Different network applications and data transmission needs may require varying numbers of cores. High-density data centers might necessitate more cores to support large-capacity data transmission, while smaller networks may require fewer cores.

Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure

When choosing the core number for MTP/MPO cables, compatibility with existing infrastructure is crucial. Ensuring that the new cables match existing fiber optic equipment and connectors helps avoid unnecessary compatibility issues.

Consideration for Future Scalability

As businesses grow and technology advances, future network demands may increase. Choosing MTP/MPO cables with a larger number of cores allows for future expansion and upgrades.

Budget and Resource Constraints

Budget and resources also play a role in core number selection. Cables with a larger number of cores tend to be more expensive, while cables with fewer cores may be more cost-effective. Therefore, finding a balance between actual requirements and the available budget is essential.

MTP/MPO Cabling Guide to Core Numbers

40G MTP/MPO Cabling

A 12-fiber MTP/MPO connector interface can accommodate 40G, which is usually used in a 40G data center. The typical implementations of MTP/MPO plug-and-play systems split a 12-fiber trunk into six channels that run up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (depending on the length of the cable). 40G system uses a 12-fiber trunk to create a Tx/Rx link, dedicating 4 fibers for 10G each of upstream transmit, and 4 fibers for 10G each of downstream receive.

40G-10G Connection

In this scenario, a 40G QSFP+ port on the FS S5850 48S6Q switch is split up into 4 10G channels. An 8-fiber MTP-LC harness cable connects the 40G side with its MTP connector and the four LC connectors link with the 10G side.

40G-40G Connection

As shown below, a 12-fiber MTP trunk cable is used to connect two 40G optical transceivers to realize the 40G to 40G connection between the two switches. The connection method can also be applied to a 100G-100G connection.

40G Trunk Cabling

24 Fibers MTP® to MTP® Interconnect Conversion Harness Cable is designed to provide a more flexible multi-fiber cabling system based on MTP® products. Unlike MTP® harness cable, MTP® conversion cables are terminated with MTP® connectors on both ends and can provide more possibilities for the existing 24-fiber cabling system. The 40/100G MTP® conversion cables eliminate the wasted fibers in the current 40G transmission and upcoming 100G transmission. Compared to purchasing and installing separate conversion cassettes, using MTP® conversion cables is a more cost-effective and lower-loss option.

100G MTP/MPO Cabling

QSFP28 100G transceivers using 4 fiber pairs have an MTP/MPO 12f port (with 4 unused fibers). Transmission for short distances (up to 100m) could be done most cost-effectively over multimode fiber using SR4 transmission. Longer distances over single mode use PSM4 transmission over 8 fibers. Transmission over 4 fiber pairs enables both multimode and single-mode transceivers to be connected 1:4 using MPO-LC 8 fiber breakout cables. One QSFP28 100G can connect to four SFP28 25G transceivers.

100G SR4 Parallel BASE-8 over Multimode Fibre

QSFP28 100G SR4 are often connected directly together due to their proximity within switching areas.

Equally QSFP28 SR4 are often connected directly to SFP28 25G ports within the same rack. For example, from a switch 100G port to four different servers with 25G ports.

The 12-core MTP/MPO cables can also be used for 100G parallel to parallel connection. Through the use of MTP patch panels, network reliability is enhanced, ensuring the normal operation of other channels even if a particular channel experiences a failure. Additionally, by increasing the number of parallel channels, it can meet the continuously growing data demands. This flexibility is crucial for adapting to future network expansions.

100G PMS4 Parallel BASE-8 over Singmode Fibre

QSFP28 100G PMS4 are often connected directly together due to their proximity within switching areas.

Equally QSFP28 ports are often connected directly to SFP28 25G ports within the same rack. For example, from a switch 100G port to four different servers with 25G ports.

200G MTP/MPO Cabling

Although most equipment manufacturers (Cisco, Juniper, Arista, etc) are bypassing 200G and jumping from 100G to 400G, there are still some 200G QSFP-DD transceivers on the market, like FS QSFP56-SR4-200G and QSFP-FR4-200G.

200G-to-200G links

MTP (MPO) 12 fiber enables the connection of 2xQSFP56-SR4-200G to each other.

400G MTP/MPO Cabling

MTP/MPO cables with multi-core connectors are used for optical transceiver connection. There are 4 different types of application scenarios for 400G MTP/MPO cables. Common MTP/MPO patch cables include 8-fiber, 12-core, and 16-core. 8-core or 12-core MTP/MPO single-mode fiber patch cable is usually used to complete the direct connection of two 400G-DR4 optical transceivers. 16-core MTP/MPO fiber patch cable can be used to connect 400G-SR8 optical transceivers to 200G QSFP56 SR4 optical transceivers, and can also be used to connect 400G-8x50G to 400G-4x100G transceivers. The 8-core MTP to 4-core LC duplex fiber patch cable is used to connect the 400G-DR4 optical transceiver with a 100G-DR optical transceiver.

For more specific 400G connectivity solutions, please refer to FS 400G MTP/MPO Cabling.

800G MTP/MPO Cabling Guide

In the higher-speed 800G networking landscape, the high density, high bandwidth, and flexibility of MTP/MPO cables have played a crucial role. Leveraging various branching or direct connection schemes, MTP/MPO cables are seamlessly connected to 800G optical modules, 400G optical modules, and 100G optical modules, enhancing the richness and flexibility of network construction.

800G Connectivity with Direct Connect Cabling

16 Fibers MTP® trunk cable is designed for 800G QSFP-DD/OSFP DR8 and 800G OSFP XDR8 optics direct connection and supporting 800G transmission for Hyperscale Data Center.

When using the current 800G optical module, such as the OSFP 800G SR8, direct connection requires 12 fibre MTP® trunk cables.

800G to 8X100G Interconnect

16 fibers MTP®-LC breakout cables are optimized for 800G OSFP XDR8 to 100G QSFP28 FR, 800G QSFP-DD/OSFP DR8 to 100G QSFP28 DR optics direct connection, and high-density data center applications.

800G to 2X400G Interconnect

16 fiber MTP® conversion cable is designed to provide a more flexible multi-fiber cabling system based on MTP® products. Compared to purchasing and installing separate conversion cassettes, using MTP® conversion cables is a more cost-effective and lower-loss option. In the network upgrade from 400G to 800G, the ability to directly connect an 800G optical module and two 400G optical modules provides a more efficient use of cabling space, resulting in cost savings for cabling.

When using InfiniBand technology for networking purposes, 12 fibre MTP® trunk cable is designed for linking InfiniBand and Ethernet multimode twin-port OSFP and single-port OSFP and QSFP112 transceivers together.

Conclusion

In a word, the choice of core number for MTP/MPO cables depends on the specific requirements of the network application. Matching the core number with the requirements of each scenario ensures optimal performance and efficient resource utilization. A well-informed choice ensures that your MTP/MPO cable not only meets but exceeds the demands of your evolving connectivity requirements.

How FS Can Help

As a global leader in enterprise-level ICT solutions, FS not only offers a variety of MTP/MPO cables but also customizes exclusive MTP/MPO cabling solutions based on your requirements, helping your data center network achieve a smooth upgrade. In the era of rapid growth in network data, the time has come to make a choice – FS escorts your data center upgrade. Register as an FS website member and enjoy free technical support.

5 Types of Optical Fibers for 5G Networks

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Admin

Optical fiber cables have become one of the key points in the 5G competition. It’s known that 5G networks will offer consumers high-speed and low-latency services with more reliable and stronger connections. But to make this happen, more 5G base stations have to be built due to the higher 5G frequency band and limited network coverage. And it’s estimated that by 2025, the total number of global 5G base stations will reach 6.5 million, which puts forward higher requirements for the optical fiber cable performance and production.

Currently, there are still some uncertainties in 5G network architectures and the selection of technical solutions. But in the basic physical layer, the 5G fiber cables should meet both current application and future development needs. The following are five types of optical fiber cables that address problems in 5G networks built to some degree.

1. Bend Insensitive Optical Fiber for Easy 5G Indoor Micro Base Stations

The dense fiber connections between massive 5G new macro base stations and indoor micro base stations are the main challenge in the 5G access network constructions. The complex cabling environments, especially the indoor fiber cabling, and the limited space and bend request high requirements for the fiber bend performance. Optical fiber compliant ITU G.657.A2/B2/B3 has great bend-improved performance, which can be stapled and bent around corners without sacrificing performance.

Many fiber manufacturers have announced bend-insensitive fiber (BIF) cables with low loss to address such problems in 5G indoor applications.

Company	Product Name	ITU Standards	Bend Radius (1 turn around a mandrel)	Induced Attenuation (dB)
Corning	ClearCurve LBL fiber	G.652.D, G.657.A2/B2	7.5 mm	≤ 0.4
YOFC	EasyBand® Ultra BIF	G.652.D, G.657.B3	5 mm	≤ 0.15
Prysmian Group	BendBright XS fiber	G.652.D, G.657.A2/B2	7.5 mm	≤ 0.5

Note: The induced attenuation is caused due to fiber wrapped around a mandrel of a specific radius.

2. OM5 Multimode Fiber Applied to 5G Core Networks

5G service providers also have to focus on the fiber optic network build of the data centers where the content is stored. At present, the transmission speed of data centers is evolving from 10G/25G, 40G/I00G to 25G/I00G, 200G/400G, which put forward new requirements for the multimode optical fibers used for interconnection inside the data centers. Multimode optical fibers need to compatible with the existing Ethernet standard, cover the future upgrades to higher speed like 400G and 800G, support multi-wavelength multiplexing technologies like SWDM and BiDi, and also need to provide excellent bending resistance to adjust to dense data centers cabling scenarios.

Figure 1: OM5 fiber in 100G BiDi and 100G SWDM applications

Under such conditions, the new broadband OM5 multimode fiber becomes the hotspot option for data center constructions. OM5 fiber allows multiple wavelengths to be transmitted simultaneously in the vicinity of 850 nm to 950 nm. By adopting the PAM4 modulation and WDM technology, OM5 optical fiber is able to support 150 meters in 100Gb/s, 200Gb/s, and 400Gb/s transmission systems, and ensure the ability of future short-distance and high-speed transmission networks, making it the optimal choice for intra-data center connections under the 5G environment.

Fiber Type	Effective Bandwidth (MHz.km)	Full injection Bandwidth (MHz.km)
Fiber Type	850nm	953nm	850nm	953nm	1310nm
OM3	>2000	/	>1500	/	>500
OM4	>4700	/	>3500	/	>500
OM5	>4700	/	>3500	1850	>500

Here is a comparison of the link length of OM5 and other multimode fiber over 850nm wavelength.

	Link Length (M) @850nm wavelength
Fiber Type	10GBASE-SR	25GBASE-SR	40GBASE-SR4	100GBASE-SR4	400GBASE-SR16	400GBASE-SR8	400GBASE-SR4.2
OM3	300	70	100	70	100	70	70
OM4	550	100	150	100	150	100	100
OM5	550	100	150	100	150	100	150

3. Micron Diameter Optical Fibers Enable Higher Fiber Density

Due to the complex deployment environments of the access layer or aggregation layer of 5G bearer networks, it’s easy to encounter problems like the limited existing cable pipeline resources. To ensure the limited space can hold more optical fibers, cable manufacturers are working hard to reduce the size and diameter of cable bundles. For example, recently the Prysmian Group has introduced the BendBright XS 180µm single-mode fiber to meet the 5G technology demands. This innovative optical fiber enables cable designers to offer strongly reduced cable dimensions while still keeping the 125µm glass diameter.

Figure 2: Prysmian’s BendBright XS 180µm fiber

Similarly, with the same principles, Corning has introduced the SMF-28 Ultra 200 fiber that allows fiber cable manufacturers to shave 45 microns off previous cable coating thicknesses, going from 245 microns down to 200 microns, to achieve a smaller overall outer diameter. And YOFC, another optical fiber manufacturer, also provides EasyBand plus-Mini 200μm reduced diameter bending insensitive fiber for 5G networks, which can reduce the cable diameter by 50% and significantly increase the fiber density in pipelines when compared with common optical fibers.

4. ULL Fiber with Large Effective Area Can Extend 5G Link Length

5G fiber manufacturers are actively exploring ultra low-loss (ULL) optical fiber technologies to extend the fiber reach as long as possible. The G.654.E optical fiber is such a type of innovative 5G fiber. Different from the common G.652.D fiber often used in 10G, 25G, and 100G, the G.652.E fiber comes with a larger effective area and ultra-low loss features, which can significantly reduce the nonlinear effect of optical fiber and improve the OSNR that are easily affected by higher signal modulation format in 200G and 400G connections.

Speed (bps)	40G	100G	400G	400G
Fiber Type	common G.652	low-loss G.652	low-loss G.652	innovative G.654.E
Maximum Capacity (Tbs)	3.2	8	20	20
Limit Relay Distance (km)	6000	3200	<800	<2000
Typical Link Attenuation (dB/km)	0.21	0.20	0.20	0.18
Fiber Effective Area (µm²)	80	80	80	130

With the continuous increase of the transmission speed and capacity of the 5G core network and the clouded data center, fiber optic cables like this will be needed more. It’s said that the latest Corning’s TXF fiber, a type of G.654.E fiber, comes with high-data-rate capabilities and exceptional reach, able to help network operators deal with growing bandwidth demands while lowering their overall network costs. Recently, Infinera and Corning have achieved 800G across 800km using this TXF fiber, which shows this fiber is expected to offer excellent long-haul transmission solutions for 5G network deployment.

5. Optical Fiber Cable for Faster 5G Network Installation

5G network deployment covers both indoor and outdoor scenarios, the installation speed is a factor needed to consider. Full-dry optical cable using dry water-blocking technology is able to improve fiber splicing speed during cable installation. Air-blown micro cables are compact and lightweight and contain high fiber density to maximize the fiber count. This type of cable is easy to be installed in longer ducts with multiple bends and undulations, and it can save in manpower & installation time and improved installation efficiency via the blowing installation methods. For the outdoor fiber cable deployment, some anti-rodent and anti-bird optical cables also need to be used.

Get Ready for 5G Networks

Currently, optical fiber is the optimal medium capable of scaling to the 5G demands. 5G networks’ enhanced bandwidth capacity, lower latency requirements and complicated outdoor deployments bring challenges as well as unlimited possibilities for optical fiber manufacturers, but our optical networks must quickly adapt to meet such new demands. Except for the optical fiber mentioned above, it remains to be seen if the 5G fiber manufacturers will put forward other innovative fiber for the market as quickly as possible.

Article source: 5 Types of Optical Fibers for 5G Networks

Related Articles:

Challenges and Opportunities of 5G at the Time of COVID-19

CPRI vs eCPRI: What Are Their Differences and Meanings to 5G?

Bend Radius—How It Can Impact Your Cable Performance?

Posted on September 14, 2018 by Admin

Why should fiber optic cable not be tightly bent? Are fiber optic cable fragile? These issues are what users care about when deploying fiber patch cables. Usually, fiber optic cable is made from two bend sensitive materials: plastic or glass. It is broken easily when kinked or bent too tightly to exceed the minimum bend radius of cable. Then which factor will influence bend radius? How to choose cables according to it? This blog will provide some hints.

Why Bend Radius Is Important?

When you deploy the fiber optic cable, it is inevitable to flex, pull and bend it due to the practical conditions. However, it is the bend radius that determines how much you can bend a cable. It represents as the safe value that can prevent your cable from damaging or degrading its performance. If a cable is bent beyond its allowed radius, it will generate crosstalk or interference in data transmission, or even shorten its life. That’s why it’s important to know the bend radius of the cables, especially the minimum bend radius,which is the smallest allowed radius the cable can be bent around without signal loss or impairment.

Factors Impact Bend Radius of Cable

The bend radius may differ from cables. The fact is the smaller the minimum bend radius, the more flexible the cable. Here list some factors that may affect this radius of cable.

Outer Jacket Thickness

The thickness of the outer jacket of a fiber patch cable intended for bending will influence the potential minimum curve radius. Generally speaking, if the outer jacket is thick, the fiber patch cable will have a smaller bend radius. This can be translated by the fact that when the cable is bent, the stretching force makes the outer jacket thinner and even broken. Therefore, if the outer jacket is thin itself, the external tension may deform of break the fragile cable.

Material Ductility

Cables are manufactured by different materials, and this will affect the radius of the bend. Ductility refers to the flexibility of material under tensile stress or stretching force. If you would like to obtain small curve radius, you should choose cables made of highly ductile materials like copper. An alternative such as glass is more brittle than flexible.

Core Diameter

The large core diameter determines the small bend radius. Simply put, the single mode fiber has a smaller diameter than multimode fiber, and the single mode fiber cable bears less weight or bending than multimode fiber cable. That’s why the bending radius of single mode fiber optic cable is larger than the multimode fiber optic cable.

How to Choose Fiber Optic Cables based on Bend Radius?

Generally, the multimode fiber optic cable is recommended if the bend radius is the only consideration. And another option is BIF fiber cable. BIF means the bend insensitive fiber which enables tight curve radius when cables are bent or twisted. FS adopts it in producing both multimode and single mode fiber cables to endow them much smaller bend radii than ever before. It realizes more convenience in cable management, as well as less signal loss and less cable damaging. Here is a bend radius chart of BIF fiber optic cable.

Fiber Cable Type	Minimum Bend Radius
OM3/OM4 MTP BIF	7.5mm
Single Mode OS2 MTP BIF	10mm
Uniboot OS2 LC BIF	10mm
Uniboot OM3/OM4 LC BIF	7.5mm

Conclusion

To sum up, the bend radius of cables is paramount for fiber patch cable installations. Factors which influence the minimum radius of fiber optic cable include the outer jacket thickness, material ductility and core diameter. To protect the integrity and performance of cable, we shall not bend the cable beyond its allowed radius.

Good Forecasts for Global Optical Fiber Cable Market

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Admin

An optical fiber cable uses light wave for voice and data transmission, its data transmission capacity is 4.5 times more than conventional copper cables. So in the past several decades, we have seen that fiber optic cables are superior to traditional copper twisted-pair cable or coaxial cable because of its unique physical characteristics, allowing information to travel at speeds increasingly approaching the speed of light without interference between adjacent wavelengths. In leading market, the global drive to implement FTTx into more new venues is good news for the market of optical fiber cables. Another good trend is that the price erosion of optical fiber cables had been 10 to 15 percent annually, in result that the demand of optical fiber cable is expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future. And the growing data transmission workloads placed by high-performance computers, servers and network storage systems is helping spur growth in the market. Consequently, fiber optic cables are now the indispensable backbone of today’s communication network. This article will analyse the global optical fiber cable market in three main applications, including long-distance communication, submarine cable and FTTx network.

fiber

Global Optical Fiber Cable Market to Grow at 9.8% till 2021

According to the report “Fiber Optics Market by Cable – Global Forecast to 2021”, the optical fiber cable market is anticipate to grow at a CAGR of over 9.8% during 2016-2021. The growing importance of cloud computing, data transfer & storage, and IoT is driving the use of Internet, which is driving the fiber optic cable market, as it acts as the backbone for data transmission. Moreover, growing technological advancements increase in number of connected devices and data centers are expected to positively influence global optical fiber cable market. In addition, next generation technologies such as LTE and FTTx, which require last mile connectivity, is expected to propel the demand for optical fiber cables in the coming years. All these factors have led to an increase in Internet users, which in turn has led to the higher usage of optical fiber cable to transfer information over the Internet, thus driving the fiber optics market.

Global Optical Fiber Cable Market

Global Optical Fiber Cable Demand from 2012 to 2018 (Source: Statista)

Optical Fiber Cable Market in Long-distance Communication

Currently, the growing adoption of optical technology in the telecommunications appears to be promising. Optical fiber has virtually unlimited capacity and low signal attenuation allowing long distances without amplifier or repeater, no exposure to parasite signals or crosstalk, and no electromagnetic interference (EMI). So fiber optic cable is especially advantageous for high-speed data transfer services in long-distance communications over electrical cabling. Furthermore, the increasing cloud-based applications, audio-video services, and Video-on-Demand (VoD) services further stimulate the demand for optical fiber cable installations.

Growing Need for Capacity

Growing Need for Capacity (Source: Goldmedia)

Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market

Submarine optical fiber cables are undersea cables used for carrying data across interconnected networks between continents. With the advancements of technology, most of the submarine optical fiber cables that currently form the backbone of the Internet connect the U.S. to Europe and Asia by crossing the Atlantic or Pacific oceans. Instead, there is a proposal for deployment of Trans-polar submarine cable system in Arctic Ocean. Laying an undersea fiber optic cable is meant to connect Asia and Europe by crossing the Arctic Circle – the shortest practical distance yet for Internet signals traveling between the two continents. According to the report by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), cumulative installations of submarine optical fiber cables globally are projected to reach 2 million kilometers by 2020, driven by the growing demand for fiber broadband and the ensuing deployment of fiber optic cables in the Internet backbone. Presently, submarine optical fiber cables transmit 100% of the international Internet traffic, and more than 95% of the world’s combined data and voice traffic.

Submarine_Fiber_Cable_Market

Submarine Optical Fiber Cable Market (Source: Technavio)

Optical Fiber Cable Market in FTTx Networks

In recent years, the market for optical fiber cable has shifted dramatically to local deployments, away from long haul and regional. This is the impact of FTTx, which calls for far more dense applications in neighborhoods, cities and other highly focused areas. Optical fiber cable is being caught up in the global move to broadband in the near future. The next generation of high bandwidth applications, along with the proliferation of connected devices, is expected to require faster and higher bandwidth networks which will require the use of multimode fiber cable for data transfer. This growth in the FTTx networks in turn is expected to drive the fiber optics market. Future Market Insights (FMI) forecasts the global fiber to the home (FTTH) market’s value will grow from $9.5 billion in 2017 to more than $37 billion by the end of 2027, a 14.4% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). In the leading Asian economies, more than 44% of all homes and buildings are already directly connected to the fiber optic cable network; in North America penetration is 8.4%, in Europe 5.6%.

fiber-optic-cable-in-fttx

Final Thought

Fiber optic cable is widely used for data transmission and is increasingly being used in place of metal wires because of its efficiency and high transmission capacity. Since the use and demand for great bandwidth and fast speed, there is no doubt that fiber optic transmission will bring more opportunities and be continuously researched and expanded to cater for future demands. However, although fiber optic cable in itself is considered a long-term stable investment, it also faces huge challenge. The major restraint in the fiber optics market is the growing use of wireless communications systems in remote areas.

Brief Introduction to Ribbon Fiber Optic Cable

Posted on January 7, 2017 by Admin

In order to meet the increasing system bandwidth needs, local area network (LAN) campus and building backbones, as well as data center backbones, are migrating to higher cabled fiber counts. Ribbon fiber optic cables can offer the highest fiber density relative to cable size, maximize utilization of pathway and spaces and facilitate ease of termination, which makes them an ideal solution for the need. This post mainly focuses on the benefits and applications of ribbon fiber optic cable.

Ribbon Fiber Optic Cable Design

Ribbon fiber optic cable is a type of cable widely deployed in campus, building and data center backbone applications where high fiber counts are required. There are 8 fibers, 12 fibers, 24 fibers and other higher fiber counts available on the market. At present the 12-fiber ribbons are readily accessible and identifiable with ribbon identification numbers and TIA-598 compliant fiber color coding, which make it prevalent in today’s networks. Usually there are two kinds of outer jacket of ribbon fiber optic cables: non-flame-retardant and formulated flame-retardant. The former is often used in outside plant applications, while the latter is typically used for indoor applications. Here is an example of ribbon fiber optic cable construction.

ribbon fiber optic cable

Benefits of Ribbon Fiber Optic Cable

As we all know, stranded loose-tube and ribbon fiber optic cables are staples of the outside plant applications. Both of them perform well in harsh outdoor environments, and both are available in a multitude of configurations, including: all-dielectric, armored, aerial self-supporting, etc. However, when compared to stranded loose-tube cable designs, the ribbon fiber design offers robust performance equivalent to the stranded loose-tube cable, and provides the maximum fiber density relative to cable diameter. The chief distinction between these cables is the manner in which the individual fibers themselves are packaged and managed within the cable. A ribbon fiber cable has the individual fibers precisely bonded together in a matrix that might encompass as few as four or as many as 24 fibers. In contrast, a loose-tube cable has between 2 to 24 individual fibers housed in multiple buffer tubes with each fiber detached from the other.

ribbon fiber optic cable vs loose tube cable

It’s the special ribbon fiber design that makes ribbon fiber optic cable offer more advantages over loose-tube designs in many applications.

Ribbon fiber optic cable can be prepped and spliced much more rapidly than loose tube cables. That’s means less installation time, less installation labor cost and significantly less emergency restoration time.
Ribbon fiber optic cables enable a smaller footprint in splice closures and telecommunications room fiber management.
Ribbon cables offer greater packing density in higher fiber counts which enables more efficient use of limited duct space.
Ribbon cables are typically very cost competitive in counts above 96 fibers.

Ribbon Fiber Optic Cable Application

Although there are various fiber counts available with ribbon fiber optic cable, the 12-fiber ribbon cables are the most commonly used ones. With the introduction of innovations such as ribbon splitting tools and field-installable 12-fiber array connectors, 12-fiber ribbons are easily terminated with simplex and duplex connectors such as LC or SC connectors or with the MTP connector. The MTP connector is a 12-fiber push/pull optical connector with a footprint similar to the common simplex connector. Many users like to apply MTP connectors to ensure the highest quality connector insertion loss and return loss performance and to expedite the cable installation.

In order to illustrate how ribbon fiber optic cables are deployed, here take the termination of MTP connectorized ribbon cable with patch panel as an example.

The termination is normally used in an interconnect application where a harness assembly is used on the front of the patch panel. We know the MTP fiber cable has 12-fiber MTP connector on one end of the cable and simplex or duplex style connectors on the other end. Just like the picture below shows.

mtp-harness-assemblies

Except for the application noted above, ribbon fiber optic cables also can be used in both interconnect and cross-connect applications where an MTP connector module cassette is used. And they can be applied to pathways and spaces.

Conclusion

Ribbon fiber optic cables deliver high fiber density in the most compact cable package possible. And they also maximize the number of fibers that can be deployed in a limited space while streamlining fiber termination. At the same time they can save time and money with easy mass fusion splicing. Ribbon fiber cable is now easily obtained using traditional simplex or duplex connectors as well as MTP Connectors, which make them suitable for various applications.

Getting More Benefits From Sensing Fiber Optic Cables

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Admin

Sensing fiber optic cable is a type of optical cable that can monitor temperature, strain, acoustics and pressure. They are suitable for a wide range of applications like fire detection, vibration monitoring, industrial plant temperature sensing, temperature gradients in soil, pipeline leak and intrusion detection. Although these cables are built based on standard fiber optic cable which only operates to 85℃, the highest working temperature of them is up to 700℃. Before knowing what benefits that sensing fiber optic cable could bring to our life, let’s figure out the common types of sensing optical cable at first.

PBT Tube Temperature Sensing Optical Cable

The major difference of this optical cable is that the bare fiber inside is protected by a PBT tube. Except that, it is comprised of fiber, oil, aramid yarn and a sheath which can be made of different materials such as PVC, LSZH, PU and PE. With the unique structure, this sensing fiber optic cable is suitable for applications in subway systems, tunnels and fire protection industries to sense temperature and pressure, helping to prevent disasters and accidents.

PBT tube temperature sensing fiber optic cable

Armored Temperature Detecting Sensor Cable

Armored fiber optic cable is very common in optical communication. However, this kind of armored sensing cable is a little different. They are strengthened by both SUS spring tube and SUS braiding, which bring them very good mechanical performance of tensile resistance and pressure resistance. Therefore, these cables are widely applied to fire detecting, building health detecting and temperature detecting.

Teflon Sheathed Sensor Cable

Teflon, or PTFE (Poly tetra fluoroethylene) is used in a wide variety of high temperature applications like gas turbine and high voltage gas ignition wires due to its higher melting point. Besides, the aramid yarn and stainless steel braiding ensure good crush-resistant performance and the tensile strength of the cable. With all these characteristics, Teflon sheathed sensor cable is a good choice for high temperature resistant environment and fiber temperature sensing systems.

Teflon sheathed sensing fiber optic cable

Seamless Tube Temperature Sensing Cable

This armored fiber optic cable consists of bare fiber, oil, seamless stainless steel tube and an outer jacket. This structure brings a high tensile strength, crush resistance, a compact size and an unmatched steel performance to this fiber cable. And it features a simple structure and small size, but providing prominent transmission performance. With this sensor cable, some accidents that frequently occur in places such as tanks and mines can be avoided.

Copper Braid Armored Sensor Cable

As its name shows, there is a copper braiding around the outer jacket of this sensing cable. Copper braid is made from weaving together strands of copper wire. The flexibility of the braid is determined by the diameter of the copper wire. The smaller the wire, the greater the flexibility. And the larger the volume occupied by the braid, the more expensive the braid becomes. Apart from the copper braiding, there are stainless steel flexible tube and stainless steel braiding outside the bare fiber, which make the cable more suitable for outdoor optical fiber communication and optical fiber sensor. With the copper braiding structure, the special cable can prevent the external electromagnetic field on internal invasion, reducing its optical transmission loss.

Copper braid armored sensing fiber optic cable

Silica Gel Sensing Optical Cable

Unlike copper braid armored sensor cable, the silica gel sensing optical cable has a very simple structure, including bare fiber, Teflon tube, armored yarn and silicone jacket. As have mentioned above, Teflon is a high performance alternative insulation. With the silica gel that is another kind of good insulation material, both of them make this sensing fiber optic cable an ideal solution for high temperature resistant and high voltage environment. It can work normally even in the 250℃ high temperature environment or 6kv high voltage environment without affecting optical signals’ transmission.

Summary

The deployment of sensing fiber optic cables brings us lots of benefits in various applications. They can be applied in downhole to monitor temperatures either as DTS or datacom links to sensors; they can be deployed in power distribution networks to monitor performance of power cable systems; they can be attached to pipelines for temperature data that’s available on demand. This post introduces six kinds of sensing fiber optic cable. All of them are available on FS.COM. Welcome to contact us via sales@fs.com.