MTP Fiber Cable introduction
An MTP cable is essentially a multi-strand fiber optic cable terminated with high performance MTP® or MTP Elite® connectors on one or multiple ends. Depending on application and compatibility, different styles of MTP fiber cable assemblies can be identified and rudimentary categorized into: MTP trunk cables, MTP extension harnesses and MTP breakout cables featuring up to 24 fibers per connector and 144 fiber strands per assembly. The MTP fiber cable, basically being an improved MPO fiber cable, meets and exceeds all of the MPO specifications yet provides full compatibility with MPO equipment and accessories. In order to maintain performance, it is recommended to use similar components to avoid complications such as an MTP-MTP connection. Visit our MTP Fiber Connector guide for more information.
View all MTP Cables: MTP-MTP Fiber Cables Plenum MTP Trunk Cables MTP to LC Breakout Cables Plenum MTP to LC Breakout Cables
MTP Fiber Cable Usage and Application
The most significant improvement and advantage of an MTP fiber cable assembly over a standard MPO cable lies in the superior quality of construction and performance of the MTP and MTP Elite connector. This allows for preservation of signal integrity due to a significant reduction in insertion loss typically incurred at fiber connection points. This reduction in signal loss will result in more reliable transfer of data with a side benefit of reduction in power consumption and an overall more efficient optical network.able transfer of information and reduces overall power consumption due to less signal being lost when connecting devices. MTP fiber cables are therefore best utilized in mission critical networks, high performance data centers, or other similar high bandwidth applications such as virtual or augmented reality simulations. For more information, please see our page on the difference between the MTP and MPO Connector.
MTP Fiber Cable Styles
MTP fiber cable assemblies come in three cable body types including trunk, harness, and fanout (breakout) body styles.
MTP Trunk Cables
MTP trunk fiber cables are typically used to establish high bandwidth interconnects between fiber patch panels and/or fiber backbone fabrics. A typical and common industry practice is running high density MTP trunk assemblies between buildings in order to directly access individual fiber strands using a fiber patch panel or a modular fiber cassette. Each MTP trunk cable is able to carry 8 to 144 individual fiber strands within a single connector although for all intents and purposes 8, 12, and 24 fibers are currently the most common imlplementations and commercially available. Another common practice implementation of the MTP Trunk cable is when interconnecting two high performance QSFP+ optic transceivers to establish links supporting 40G and 100G data transfer rates.
MTP Trunk Harnesses
As mentioned earlier and similar to the MPO connector, the MTP fiber connector supports a theoretical maximum of 144 fibers per connector. However practical use limits this to a maximum of 24 fiber strands per connector MTP Trunk harness consolidate 2 to12 MTP Trunk cables into a single assembly. This is the preferred method of reducing footprint and efficient cable management in the case of running large amounts of optic fiber strands. Depending on required compatibilty of fiber optic equipment and fabric, each MTP harness cable is able to consolidate at minimum 24 fibers in two 12 connectors (12x2) or at most 144 fibers in six 24 (24x6) or twelve 12 (12x12) fiber connectors. These configurations allow network installers to retain a wide range of compatibility with MTP/MPO devices while also being able to lay the foundation for faster data transfer rates in the future. A common practice includes using a 24 (24x1) fiber MTP connector to transport three individual 40G signals instead of a single 100G signal in order to maximize use of each individual fiber strand.
MTP Breakout Cables
MTP breakout or fanout cables (sometimes referred to as breakout harnesses) are primarily used in the aggregation of multiple 1G or 10G signals in order to repurpose hardware and achieve 40G, 100G, or higher rate aggregation. A common practice is connecting various LC SFP/SFP+ transceivers on one end and a high performance QSFP+ optical transceiver on the opposite end. Alternative applications include reducing unnecessary bulk associated with running multiple duplex patch cords and accessing the internal fibers via a fiber patch panel or fiber cassette for redistribution.
MTP Cable Applications
MTP FIBER CABLE STYLES |
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| STYLES | RECOMMENDED APPLICATIONS | |
| MTP TRUNK | Fiber panel to fiber panel connection, redistribution of internal fibers, & high bandwidth use cases | |
| MTP HARNESS | Consolidation of individual MTP fiber cable assemblies | |
| MTP BREAKOUT | Aggregation of multiple 10G signals into 40G, 100G, or higher | |
MTP FIBER CONNECTOR SPECIFICATIONS |
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| MULTIMODE MTP® OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| MTP | MTP ELITE | |
| Insertion Loss | 0.20 dB Typical (All Fibers) | 0.10 dB Typical (All Fibers) |
| 0.60 dB Maximum (Single Fiber) | 0.35 dB Maximum (Single Fiber) | |
| Optical Return Loss | > 20dB | > 20dB |
| SINGLE-MODE MTP® OPTICAL SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| MTP | MTP ELITE | |
| Insertion Loss | 0.25 dB Typical (All Fibers) | 0.10 dB Typical (All Fibers) |
| 0.75 dB Maximum (Single Fiber) | 0.35 dB Maximum (Single Fiber) | |
| Optical Return Loss | > 60 dB (8° Angle Polish) | > 60 dB (8° Angle Polish) |
| PHYSICAL MTP® SPECIFICATIONS | ||
| MULTIMODE | SINGLE-MODE | |
| Operating temperature | – 40 C to + 80 C | – 40 C to + 80 C |
MTP®, MTP Elite® are registered trademarks of US Conec®