Sumitomo Expands its Lynx2 Line with Jacketed MPO Splice-On Connector

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, a major manufacturing leader in optical fiber and connectivity solutions, announced the expansion of its Lynx2 CustomFit Splice-On Connector product line to include the industry’s first jacketed MPO ribbon splice-on connector to meet the changing needs of data center, enterprise, and communications networks.

The company’s decision to design and launch the Lynx2-MPO Ribbon Jacket splice-on connector addresses the growing network migration from 10Gbps to 40 and 100 Gbps and the subsequent accelerated use of optical fiber ribbon cables that meet the larger fiber counts, real-time scalability, speed of installation, and cost efficiencies required for the migration.

As high-density networks and data centers make the transition from single fiber and loose tube to the more compact optical ribbon cables for trunk cable and jumper applications, jacketed ribbon is the preferred choice to maintain protection of the fiber and tensile integrity. In the case of optical fiber ribbon trunk cables, furcation is used to provide the added fiber protection in patch panels since the cables are often re-entered for network moves, adds, and changes (MACs). The Lynx2-MPO Ribbon Jacket 12-fiber splice-on connector facilitates the connectivity of the jacketed ribbon cables and jumpers by allowing exact length cable builds and terminations to be performed on-site, thereby eliminating the shorts, excess slack, and logistical delays associated with factory pre-connectorized cable assemblies.

Delivering the exact performance results for typical and maximum insertion and return loss as factory MPO/MTP connectors, the Lynx2-MPO Ribbon Jacket splice-on connector’s field-installable attributes offer the reliability and flexibility needed for affordable customization, speed of terminations, polarity management, and immediate on-site response for faster MACs, network repair, and mission-critical restoration for any communications network, MDU and FTTx applications. As a small-form-factor connector, the new MPO splice-on connector reduces the space required in racks, panels, pedestals and hubs. The Lynx2–MPO Ribbon Jacket connector, like all Lynx2 connectors, offers the full media types and polishes required for low loss and standard single-mode and 62.5-micrometer, 50-micrometer and 50-micrometer-laser-optimized gigabit multimode fiber types. (A micrometer is a millionth of a meter.)

The addition of the Lynx2-MPO Ribbon Jacket to the current suite of MPO Unjacketed Ribbon, MPO for round cord, and SC, LC, FC, and ST patented splice-on connectors makes Sumitomo’s splice-on connector product line the largest and most comprehensive on the market. Orders and shipping for the new connector begin January 2013.