At present, MPO patch cord is widely used in high-speed and high-density data center wiring, and its quality determines the stability and sustainability of the whole data center network. So what factors should we consider when choosing MPO patch cord? Today ETU-LINK will introduce the Purchasing Guide of MPO patch cord.

Ⅰ. Why MPO/MTP Patch Cord Matters For High‑Speed Data‑Center Networks

MPO (Multi‑fiber Push‑On) / MTP is multi‑fiber array connector, integrating 8‑12‑24‑core optical fibers inside one connector housing. It is the mainstream cabling component for 40G SR4,100G SR4 and 400G SR8 parallel optical‑module interconnection. Poor‑quality MPO patch cords may cause random bit‑errors, partial‑lane no‑link and intermittent link flapping, which are difficult to troubleshoot in high‑density leaf‑spine architectures. MTP is a high‑performance trademark variant of standard MPO connector.

Ⅱ. How To Evaluate Insertion‑Loss Performance Of MPO Patch Cord

Choose a patch cord with a small insertion loss.

Insertion loss is one of the key factors affecting the performance of the optical fiber network. The smaller the insertion loss, the better the transmission performance. In general, the insertion loss of the MTP/MPO multimode fiber patch cord does not exceed 0.6 dB, the insertion loss of single-mode MTP/MPO fiber patch cord should not exceed 0.75 dB. For single-mode and multi-mode MTP/MPO fiber patch cords with low insertion loss (high quality), the insertion loss is usually required to not exceed 0.35 dB. When we choose MTP/MPO fiber optic patch cords, we can choose suppliers who provide insertion loss test reports.

Ⅲ. How To Select MPO Patch Cord Jacket Material And Flame‑Retardant Grade

The jacket of MTP/MPO patch cord can be made of different materials.

These materials have different fire resistance, which can be divided into PVC, LSZH, etc. most of them have good flame retardant properties.If there are higher requirements for the installation environment, such as suspended ceiling and elevated floor, it is better to choose MTP/MPO optical fiber patch cord with higher flame retardant grade, so that it is not easy to burn or smoke in case of fire. When purchasing the MTP/MPO optical fiber patch cord, you can directly check its flame retardant grade on the protective jacket, and then select the appropriate MTP/MPO optical fiber patch cord according to the protective jacket of the optical fiber patch cord and the actual application environment of the flame retardant grade

Ⅳ. MPO Connector End‑Face Inspection Standard

In order to ensure that the optical fiber connector has qualified or higher performance, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has formulated IEC 61300-3-35 standard to define whether the end face of the connector is qualified or not. The end face of MTP/MPO patch cord connector is divided into four areas: core area, cladding area, glue edge area and plug core area. It has requirements for scratches and flaws in every area inside the connection. Scratches represent permanent linear surface features. Defects include all detectable nonlinear features on the fiber, including particles, other debris, pits, debris, edge fragmentation, etc. The cleaner the end face is, the better the signal quality of the jumper is. Therefore, if you need to buy MTP / MPO optical fiber patch cord of high quality, you should choose ETU-LINK.

Ⅴ.ETU‑LINK MPO / MTP Patch‑cord Product Reminder

ETU‑LINK supplies full‑series MPO/MTP patch cords: MPO‑to‑MPO trunk cables, MPO‑to‑LC breakout fan‑out cables. Options include OM3/OM4/OM5 multimode and OS2 single‑mode; 8‑core,12‑core,24‑core; Type‑A/B/C polarity; male/female gender; PVC / LSZH / Plenum jacket. Each cable passes per‑core insertion‑loss & end‑face inspection according IEC‑61300‑3‑35, complete test report provided on request, compatible with mainstream 40G/100G/400G optical‑modules.

Last updated: Sept. 24 2026