MTP/MPO Conversion Cable Wiki and Applications

12-fiber MTP/MPO cables are widely used for 40G/100G high-density backbone cabling in data centers, streamlining network deployment and offering more flexibility. Meanwhile, the base-12 solution also brings about fiber wasting for utilizing only eight of the twelve fibers, which leads to a transition to a more cost-effective 8-fiber MTP/MPO system preferred in 40G/100G backbone networks. To solve this problem, MTP/MPO conversion cables become effective solutions for converting the previously designed base-12 backbone to the currently popular base-8 and base-24 backbones.

MTP/MPO Conversion Cable Overview

MTP/MPO conversion cables, also known as conversion harness cables, are designed with the same fanout form as MTP/MPO breakout cables but differ in fiber counts and types. They are terminated with only MTP/MPO connectors on both ends, making it especially fit for high-density cabling. Specifically, they can be used for 10G-40G, 40G-40G, 40G-100G, 40G-120G direct connections, which avoid fiber wasting and largely increase the capacity and flexibility of the existing base-12 and base-24 MTP/MPO cabling systems.

Figure 1: MTP/MPO Conversion Cable Types.

MTP/MPO Conversion Cable Applications

1×2 MTP/MPO conversion cables, 1×3 MTP/MPO conversion cables, 2×3 MTP/MPO conversion cables are designed with different structures fit for diverse connections.

1×2 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable

This MTP/MPO conversion cable is terminated with a 24-fiber MTP/MPO connector on one end and two 12-fiber MTP/MPO connectors on the other end, which enables a base-24 MTP cable to be integrated into the existing base-12 backbone MTP links to carry the signals. The transmitted data are split equally across two 12-fiber previously installed within the MTP/MPO system. As shown in Figure 1, the base-24 100G connection is converted into the 12-fiber MTP/MPO backbone trunks via 24-fiber to 2×12-fiber MTP/MPO conversion cables, so as to extend further value of the legacy infrastructures.

Figure 2: 100G Connection with 1×2 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable.

1×3 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable

This MTP/MPO conversion cable is terminated with a 24-fiber MTP/MPO connector on one end and three 8-fiber MTP/MPO connectors on the other end, which allows a base-24 backbone link to be converted into three base-8 cables so as to achieve 40G to 120G deployment. When connected to 40G, this conversion cable can create three 40G interfaces for QSFP+ modules, fully utilizing all the 24 fibers. Thus, three 40G dual-way transmissions are achieved in the existing 24-fiber MTP/MPO cable. In addition, 24-fiber to 3×8-fiber MTP/MPO conversion cables can be also used to break the 120G CXP module signals into three 40G QSFP+ links to realize the migration from 40G to 120G networking.

Figure 3: 40G-120G Connection with 1×3 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable.

2×3 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable

This MTP/MPO conversion cable is terminated with two 12-fiber MTP/MPO connectors on one end and three 8-fiber MTP/MPO connectors on the other end, which allows converting the signals from three four-channel modules to two 12-fiber trunks and achieves full utilization of the 12-fiber system. 2x12-fiber to 3×8-fiber MTP/MPO conversion cables can be used for 10G-40G and 40G-40G connections. In 10G-40G connection, the three 8-fiber MTP/MPO connectors can be plugged into three 40G QSFP+ transceivers on the switch. And the two 12-fiber ends are terminated with a 2x12-MTP to 12x duplex LC cassette, converting the three 40G signals to 12 x10G signals.

Figure 4: 10G-40G Connection with 2×3 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable.

As for the 40G-40G connection, the three 8-fiber MTP/MPO connectors of the 2×3 MTP conversion cable are linked to the three 40G QSFP+ transceivers on the switch. And the two 12-fiber MTP connectors of both two MTP conversion cables are plugged into MTP 12-fiber adapters. In this way, the Base-8 MTP links are able to transmit on the existing Base-12 cabling system to fully leverage the fiber resource.

Figure 5: 40G-40G Connection with 2×3 MTP/MPO Conversion Cable.

Conclusion

MTP/MPO conversion cables are designed to provide a more flexible high-density cabling system. It can largely increase the capacity of the existing 12-fiber and 24-fiber MTP/MPO networks and is also a cost-effective solution for 40G/100G/120G connections. Three existing MTP/MPO conversion cable types are fit for different networking environments. You can choose suitable ones according to your current demands and future network migration planning.

Related Resource:

MTP® High-Density Data Center Cabling Solution