On-site termination of an MPO/MTP® connector with 12, 24 or even up to 72 fibers is obviously no longer possible. In other words, if you use MPO connectors you also have to use trunk cables (Figure 11) delivered already cut to length and terminated. This approach requires greater care in planning but has a number of advantages:
• Higher quality:
Higher quality can usually be achieved with factory termination and testing of each individual product. A test certificate issued by the factory also serves as long-term documentation and as quality control.
• Minimal skew:
The smallest possible skew between the four or ten parallel fibers is crucial to the success of a parallel optical connection. Only then can the information be successfully synchronized and assembled again at the destination. The skew can be measured and minimized with factory-terminated trunk cables.
• Shorter installation time:
The pre-terminated MPO cable system can be incorporated and immediately plugged in with its plug and play design. This design greatly reduces the installation time.
• Better protection:
All termination is done in the factory, so cables and connectors are completely protected from ambient influences. FO lines lying about in the open in splice trays are exposed at least to the ambient air and may age more rapidly as a result.
• Smaller volume of cable:
Smaller diameters can be achieved in the production of MPO cabling from FO loose tube cables. The situation changes accordingly: Cable volume decreases, conditions for air-conditioning in data centers improve and the fire load declines.
• Lower total costs:
In splice solutions, a number of not always clearly predictable factors set costs soaring, e.g. splicing involving much time and equipment, skilled labor, meters of cable, pigtails, splice trays, splice protection and holders. By comparison, pre-terminated trunk cables not only have technical advantages but also usually involve lower total costs than splice solutions.
