Connector wars rage for premises applications

By GRACE F. MURPHY

Companies striving to build smaller, less expensive fiber-to-the-desk cabling systems are giving increased attention to fiber-optic interconnect components. By building alternatives to the Tele-communications Industry Association`s (tia) SC standard connector, companies hope to make installation easier and close the cost gap between fiber and the Category 3 and Category 5 copper systems that dominate horizontal premises networks today.

The stakes in finding a competitor for the standard SC are quite large, according to a report on fiber-optic connectors compiled by the Santa Ana, CA, consulting firm Fleck Research. In 1997, the total shipment of fiber-optic connectors, couplers, adapters, and cable assemblies within North America was $894.6 million, according to the report. The report states that two of the product lines showing the highest growth include SC singlemode and SC multimode connectors.

In light of the industry`s initiatives, the tia`s 41.8.1 Commercial Building Cabling Standard Committee is looking to adopt an updated fiber-optic connector standard, and recently reviewed five options. The mt-rj connector design from amp Inc., Harrisburg, PA, and Siecor Corp., Hickory, NC, was the only one of five reviewed in November that exceeded the percentage of votes needed to proceed to the next stage of review (see photo on page 25).

The five designs reviewed were the mt-rj, ibm-siecor`s sc/sd, Lucent Technologies` LC, Panduit`s OptiJack, and 3M`s Volition VF-45. The committee used 12 criteria to judge the various connectors, including low complexity, compliance with international standards and tia patent and licensing requirements, support of multimode and singlemode fiber, improvement over the standard`s current duplex connector (the 568SC), and interoperability, among others.

amp Inc. describes the mt-rj connector design as a key to its new fiber premises cabling system, which consists of connectors, transceivers, receptacles, patch panels, and wall outlets. The mt-rj connector was part of an effort by amp, Siecor, and usconec to build a less expensive, multisource solution.

Mike Peppler, amp`s associate director of marketing, says he thinks having a multisource solution played a factor in the committee`s vote. "We presented a product that will be available from a number of manufacturers right from the start. This is not an amp design and was not an amp product," Peppler says. "The people making the vote could see that here is a group of companies working together, and it wouldn`t be one company trying to drive this standard, or benefiting from it directly."

The connector uses ferrule technology similar to the MT style, but in a smaller, 2-fiber size. It is as small as the 8-pin modular jack plug and costs half as much as the current duplex SC connector, according to Peppler.

The mt-rj design was expected to go before the tia`s standard committee for a vote in February as an alternative to the current duplex SC connector.

Plowing forward

Undaunted by the tia vote, 3M of Austin, TX, claims its Volition brand VF-45 duplex interconnect plays a key role in enabling its new fiber-to-the-desk system to cut in half the cost of current fiber-optic premises cabling solutions and bring the technology price within 30% of an equivalent copper system.

3M used January`s ComNet `98 show in Washington, DC, to introduce its Volition fiber-optic cabling system for local area networks. The cabling system is 3M`s first full systems solution for the premises network market. Streamlined installation features, increased fiber capacity, and features that are easy to upgrade contribute to the lower costs, according to Jeff Conley, 3M`s lab manager on the system.

The VF-45 duplex interconnect provides cost savings of seven times over similar interconnects in other fiber-to-the-desk systems, Conley says. The interconnect`s socket, plug, and transceiver support multiple network protocols and were designed with the 8-pin modular telephone jack in mind. Daen Wombell, 3M`s global fiber-to-the-desk business manager, says the design achieves savings because it needs fewer parts and because installers do not need to be highly trained to use it.

A V-groove technology used in the connector replaces ferrules used in traditional SC fiber-optic connectors, which is one source of potential savings, according to Conley. The mechanical connection formed with the V-grooves reduces installation time from approximately 15 min to 2 min.

The connector is tested to iso-11801 and the current tia-568a premises cabling standards and the corresponding component standards, according to Conley. The Fibre Channel Association asc-x3t11 Technical Committee adopted the design in February 1997 as the new, small-form-factor interface for future variants of Fibre Channel. q