1x 24F MTP-3x8F MTP Conversion Cable
The 1 × 24-fiber MTP to 3 × 8-fiber MTP conversion cable is a factory-pre-terminated, plug-and-play multi-fiber breakout assembly. It presents one 24-position MTP connector on the trunk side and three 8-position MTP connectors on the branch side, converting a Base-24 parallel-optics infrastructure into three independent Base-8 links.
Because 24 is an exact multiple of 8, this conversion is arithmetically lossless: every trunk fiber is delivered to a branch fiber with zero unused positions on either side of the assembly. This is the defining advantage of Base-8 architecture and the reason this cable — rather than a 2 × 12-fiber variant — is the correct choice for SR4-class and modern parallel-optics deployments.
The assembly performs a purely physical fiber-count and fiber-position conversion. It contains no active components, no passive splitting elements and no wavelength-dependent devices. Each of the 24 trunk fibers is routed to exactly one branch fiber in a strict one-to-one relationship, so optical loss is limited to connector insertion loss and cable attenuation only.
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Description
Why this product exists
Base-24 (24-fiber) structured cabling was widely deployed for 100GBASE-SR10 and for high-count trunk consolidation. Modern transceivers, however, are overwhelmingly Base-8 and Base-16 devices — 40GBASE-SR4, 100GBASE-SR4, 200GBASE-SR4 and 400GBASE-SR8 all operate on groups of 8 fibers (4 Tx + 4 Rx per lane group). A Base-24 trunk feeding Base-12 hardware leaves a third of the installed fibers permanently dark. This conversion cable recovers that stranded capacity in full:
| Infrastructure | Device interface | Fibers used | Utilization |
| Base-24 trunk | 3 × Base-8 ports (SR4, 8 active each) | 24 of 24 | 100.00% |
The 3 × 8-fiber configuration is the only arrangement of a 24-fiber trunk that fully feeds SR4-class transceivers with no dark fiber. Where the deployment is SR4-heavy — which describes most data centers — this cable delivers measurably more usable links per trunk position than any Base-12 alternative.
Optical Performance
| Parameter | Multimode (OM3/OM4/OM5) | Single-mode (OS2) |
| Operating wavelength | 850 nm / 1300 nm | 1260–1650 nm |
| Test wavelength | 850 nm and 1300 nm | 1310 nm and 1550 nm |
| End-face polish | PC / UPC (flat) | APC (8° angled) standard; UPC optional |
| Insertion loss — Elite grade | ≤ 0.20 dB [typ. max] | ≤ 0.20 dB [typ. max] |
| Insertion loss — low-loss grade | ≤ 0.35 dB [typ. max] | ≤ 0.35 dB [typ. max] |
| Insertion loss — standard grade | ≤ 0.50 dB [typ. max] | ≤ 0.70 dB [typ. max] |
| Regulatory IL ceiling | ≤ 0.75 dB per mated pair — ANSI/TIA-568.3-D maximum | ≤ 0.75 dB per mated pair — ANSI/TIA-568.3-D maximum |
| Return loss | ≥ 20 dB (PC); ≥ 35 dB (high-grade UPC) | ≥ 50 dB (UPC); ≥ 60 dB (APC) |
| Repeatability | ≤ 0.20 dB change over rated mating cycles | ≤ 0.30 dB change over rated mating cycles |
| Interchangeability | ≤ 0.20 dB (random mated pairs, Elite grade) | ≤ 0.30 dB (random mated pairs) |
| Wavelength-dependent loss | Not applicable at rated bands | ≤ 0.10 dB across 1260–1650 nm |
Connector &Cable Specification
| Parameter | Specification |
| Fiber count | 12 + 12 = 24 (trunk side) → 8 + 8 + 8 = 24 (branch side) |
| Fiber arrangement at trunk | Two independent single rows × 12 fibers, 0.25 mm pitch |
| Fiber arrangement at branches | Three independent single rows × 8 fibers, 0.25 mm pitch |
| Fiber type — single-mode | OS2, ITU-T G.652.D; G.657.A1 / A2 bend-insensitive optional |
| Fiber type — multimode | OM3, OM4 or OM5 laser-optimized 50/125 µm, per IEC 60793-2-10 |
| Ferrule type | MT rectangular multi-fiber — 12-position (trunk) / 8-position (branches) |
| Connector count | 5 total — 2 trunk + 3 branch |
| Trunk leg OD | 2.0–3.0 mm per leg |
| Branch leg OD | 2.0–3.0 mm per leg |
| Jacket material | LSZH / OFNP / OFNR / PVC |
| Jacket color | SM Yellow, OM3 Aqua, OM4 Magenta or Customization |
Cable Polarity
This assembly has four polarity-relevant ends, so polarity must be specified as a combination rather than a single label. The trunk end and the three branch ends may each be Type A or Type B; the three branches are normally identical to one another for installation simplicity.
| TYPE A (straight) | TYPE B (reversed) |
| Trunk 1-8 -> Branch A 1->8 | Trunk 1-8 -> Branch C 8->1 |
| Trunk 9-16 -> Branch B 1->8 | Trunk 9-16 -> Branch B 8->1 |
| Trunk 17-24 -> Branch C 1->8 | Trunk 17-24 -> Branch A 8->1 |
Features
- 100% fiber utilization of existing Base-24 trunk cables — no dark fibers, no re-cabling, no re-termination
- Three independent Base-8 links from a single trunk position — tripled port density at the equipment face
- Lane-native SR4 alignment — each branch presents exactly 4 Tx + 4 Rx positions matching IEEE 802.3 parallel-optics PMDs
- Zero-splice conversion — fully factory-terminated and 100% tested; no field fusion splicing required
- Push-pull MTP coupling — tool-free mating and de-mating, rapid deployment in congested panels
- Polarity-managed — available in TIA-568.3-D Method A and Method B configurations
- Future-proof — Base-8 branches align with 16-fiber and 32-fiber 400G / 800G roadmaps
- High-density — 24 fibers terminated in a single connector footprint identical to a 12-fiber MTP housing
- Low insertion loss — standard, low-loss and Elite-grade MT ferrule options
- Flexible fiber types — OS2 single-mode, OM3 / OM4 / OM5 laser-optimized multimode
- Jacket options — LSZH, OFNP (plenum), OFNR (riser) and PVC to match local fire code
- Custom lengths and breakout legs — assembly length and per-branch leg length are configurable
Application
1. Base-24 to Base-8 Infrastructure Migration
The primary use case. Data centers built in the 2010s commonly installed Base-24 trunk cabling and Base-24 patch panels to serve 100GBASE-SR10 and to maximize trunk fiber density. As those facilities upgrade to Base-8 transceivers, the installed Base-24 backbone becomes incompatible with new equipment ports, and — worse — feeding Base-12 hardware strands a third of every trunk.
This conversion cable bridges the two generations without touching the permanent infrastructure, at full fiber utilization:
Benefit: avoids the cost, downtime and physical disruption of re-terminating or replacing installed trunk cables, while delivering three usable links instead of two.
2. Tripling Port Density at the Equipment Face
One Base-24 trunk position, terminated into this cable, yields three independent Base-8 interfaces. At the equipment or patch-panel face this triples the number of serviceable ports per trunk position — valuable in facilities where panel space, cable pathway fill and tray capacity are the binding constraints rather than fiber count.
3. Speed Upgrade on Existing Cabling
Because each branch is a lane-complete 4-Tx + 4-Rx interface, the same assembly supports successive generations of SR4-class optics without change:
| Generation | Per-branch link | Aggregate from one trunk position |
| 40GBASE-SR4 | 40 Gb/s | 120 Gb/s |
| 100GBASE-SR4 | 100 Gb/s | 300 Gb/s |
| 200GBASE-SR4 | 200 Gb/s | 600 Gb/s |
| 400GBASE-SR4 | 400 Gb/s | 1.2 Tb/s |
A plant installed for 100GBASE-SR10 can therefore be re-purposed to carry three independent 400G links by swapping transceivers alone. No cabling work is required — which is the strongest commercial argument for this product.
4. AI and HPC Fabric Consolidation
AI training clusters and HPC fabrics are dense, short-reach, parallel-optics environments that consume very large numbers of 8-fiber links per rack. Converting Base-24 trunks to 3 × Base-8 maximizes the link count per pathway and per panel position, directly increasing the number of GPU-to-switch or node-to-node connections achievable within an existing cable tray footprint.
5. 100GBASE-SR10 Legacy Breakout
Where legacy 100GBASE-SR10 endpoints remain in service, the Base-24 trunk carries 20 active fibers across two rows. This cable presents that structure as three standard Base-8 interfaces, simplifying patching and enabling mixed-generation interoperability during phased migration. Positions beyond the SR10 lane count can be provisioned for growth.
6. Cross-Connect and Patch Panel Interworking
In structured main-distribution and horizontal-distribution areas, Base-24 and Base-8 cassettes, panels and trunks frequently coexist. This assembly serves as the standardized interworking element between the two counts, eliminating ad-hoc field solutions and the polarity errors they introduce.
7. Test Lab and Burn-In Environments
Test benches require frequent reconfiguration between 24-fiber test fixtures and 8-fiber instruments. A pre-terminated, pre-tested conversion cable provides repeatable, documented connectivity without field splicing, reduces setup time, and eliminates splice-loss variability from measurement results. Three instruments can share one fixture position.
