Fiber Optic Connectors are usually terminated on the ends of fiber cables to realized the connectivity of fiber cable with 2 fiber cables, fiber cable with fiber optic equipment, or equipment between equipment.
- SC Connectors
SC connector is with a 2.5 mm ferrule. This fiber optic connector’s typically coming in a duplex format. SC stands for subscriber connector, which was developed by NTT. Notice the big design change from round to square, and push-pull coupling. This greatly reduces the chance for end face damage during insertion or removal.
- LC Connectors
Here is an LC connector with 1.5 mm ferrules. LC stands for Lucent connector – aptly named. That’s who it was made by. With push-pull mating like the SC plus small form factor, the LC is becoming the predominant fiber network connection.
- FC Connectors
This is an FC connector, it’s in simplex format and it also has a 2.5 mm ferrule. FC stands for ferrule connector; it was also developed by NTT, Nippon Telephone, and Telegram. It has a screw-on connector that’s designed for high vibration environments. When installed, it’s pull-proof and wiggle-proof.
- ST Connectors
This is the ST connector which also has a 2.5 mm ferrule; the ST stands for the straight tip. It was developed by AT&T shortly after the advent of the FC. The design is very similar to the FC but the quick locking mechanism greatly speeds up installation.
- MT-RJ Connectors
This is the MT-RJ connector, it stands for mechanical transfer registered jack. Developed by Amp and Corning, but based on the specification from NTT, this looks a lot like an RJ45. That’s where the last part of the name came from. Though very small the MT-RJ has not taken off like the LC due to poor performance characteristics across the board.
- MPO & MTP® Connectors
The newest and coolest connector is the MPO or MTP®. MPO stands for the multi-fiber push on developed by NTT, but MTP® is the latest generation of MPO connectors developed by US Connect. The MTP® typically holds 12 fibers. Its gender is determined by the pins. The MTP® connector is now widely used for data center backbones due to its size and excellent performance characteristics. CABLExpress® cables offer a Skinny-Trunk® 24 assembly. It’s the first solution in the industry that offers a viable 24 fiber MTP® solution.
Except above fiber optic connectors, there are DIN, D4, MU, E2000, LX.5 connectors available to meet various fiber optic connectivity.