Male MTP® Elite to LC/APC Fanout | Base-12 | Single Mode G657.A2 | 3.0/1.8mm

Overview

The Male MTP® Elite to LC APC Base-12 Fanout Cable is a high-performance solution designed for breaking out single-mode MTP® connections into discrete LC channels. This assembly features a pinned Male MTP® Elite connector, allowing for direct insertion into equipment ports or female MTP® trunk connectors. The cable fans out to 12 individual LC APC simplex connectors (6 duplex pairs), making it perfect for connecting high-density backbones to standard SFP, SFP+, or SFP28 transceivers.

Engineered with premium G.657.A2 bend-insensitive single-mode fiber, this cable offers exceptional resilience against signal loss, even in tightly constrained pathways and crowded racks. The combination of an Elite low-loss MTP® connector and high-precision LC APC (Angled Physical Contact) connectors guarantees minimal insertion loss and an outstanding return loss of $≥60$ dB. This makes it the definitive choice for reflection-sensitive applications such as 100G PSM4, DWDM systems, and telecommunications networks.

Key Features

• Male MTP® for Direct Connection: Equipped with a male (pinned) MTP® connector for direct plug-in to active equipment or MTP® adapter panels.
• High-Performance APC Polish: LC connectors feature an 8° angled polish (APC), delivering a superior return loss ($≥60$ dB) to minimize back reflection and ensure stable signal transmission.
• Bend-Insensitive G.657.A2 Fiber: Utilizes top-tier G.6S7.A2 single-mode fiber, which allows for tight bend radii with virtually no signal degradation, perfect for high-density environments.
• Base-12 Breakout: Splits a 12-fiber MTP® connection into 6 duplex LC channels for standard transceiver connectivity.
• Elite Low Loss Performance: Features a genuine MTP® Elite connector for ultra-low insertion loss (IL ≤ 0.35dB), preserving your critical power budget.
• Streamlined Cable Management: Consolidates 6 duplex patch cords into a single, robust assembly, simplifying installation and improving airflow.

Applications

This cable is engineered for demanding single-mode applications where performance and density are paramount.

• Data Center Interconnects for 100G PSM4 breakout (4x25G)
• Connecting MTP® trunks to LC-interfaced switches, servers, and storage arrays
• Telecommunication networks, FTTx, and CATV/video applications
• High-performance computing (HPC) clusters
• Backbone installations requiring breakouts in distribution frames

Specifications

Cross-Platform Compatibility

This MTP® to LC breakout cable is manufactured to meet and exceed all relevant TIA/EIA and IEC industry standards for optical performance and connector geometry. Its standards-compliant design guarantees universal compatibility with any networking hardware or passive infrastructure that uses MTP®-12 and LC APC interfaces. It is proven to work flawlessly with equipment from all leading manufacturers, including:

• Cisco
• Juniper
• Arista
• HPE/Aruba
• Brocade
• Dell/Force10
• Finisar
• Intel

Advantages

The key advantage of this cable lies in its premium components, which are optimized for high-speed, reflection-sensitive single-mode networks. The Male MTP® connector simplifies architectures by enabling direct equipment connection. The G.657.A2 fiber provides installation flexibility and protects against performance degradation from macrobends. Finally, the LC APC connectors provide the extremely high return loss necessary to protect expensive laser sources in DWDM, PSM4, and long-range transceivers from signal instability.

FAQ (Technical & Product Questions)

1. What is a Male MTP® connector used for?

A Male MTP® connector has two alignment pins and is designed to plug directly into a female counterpart, which is typically found on equipment transceivers (like a QSFP-PSM4) or on female MTP® trunk cables.

2. Why is an APC polish necessary for single-mode fiber?

The 8-degree angled end-face of an APC (Angled Physical Contact) connector reflects light back into the fiber cladding instead of straight back to the laser source. This creates a very high return loss (low reflection), which is critical for single-mode systems that are sensitive to interference, such as long-haul, analog video, and WDM applications.

3. What is G.657.A2 fiber and why is it important?

G.657.A2 is a class of bend-insensitive single-mode fiber. It can be bent and routed in very tight spaces with minimal signal loss, making it ideal for high-density patch panels, wall boxes, and other constrained environments where standard fiber would fail.

4. How is this cable used for 100G PSM4?

A 100G PSM4 (Parallel Single Mode 4-lane) transceiver uses 8 single-mode fibers (4 transmit, 4 receive) over an MTP® interface to create four parallel 25G links. This breakout cable directly connects to the PSM4 port and fans out to four duplex LC APC pairs, which can then be connected to four separate 25G SFP28 transceivers.

5. What’s the difference between G.652.D and G.657.A2 fiber?

G.652.D is the standard single-mode fiber used for most telecom applications. G.657.A2 is fully backward-compatible with G.652.D but has vastly superior bending performance, making it a more robust choice for modern, high-density data centers.

6. Can I connect this LC APC cable to an LC UPC port?

No. Mating APC and UPC connectors is not recommended. The physical mismatch between the angled APC polish and flat UPC polish will cause very high insertion loss and can permanently damage both connectors’ end-faces.

7. What does Base-12 signify?

Base-12 refers to the use of a 12-fiber MTP® connector. This fanout cable utilizes all 12 fibers, breaking them out into 12 simplex LC connectors, which are typically used as 6 transmit/receive pairs for 6 separate devices.

8. Why is the MTP® Elite connector superior?

The MTP® Elite is a premium version of the standard MTP® connector, manufactured to tighter tolerances to guarantee extremely low insertion loss (typically 0.35dB max). This is vital for maintaining signal integrity in multi-connection links, especially in high-speed networks.