Why Choose Base-8 MTP Link for Future-Proofing Your Network?

When deploying a new fiber system, data center managers will always consider whether the system can be easily upgraded to higher data rate network or not in the future, since network reconfiguration will cost much time and money. So choosing a right fiber optic link is the very step to ensure an efficient, future-proof data center. Here, we highly recommend Base-8 MTP link for your home network or data center. Why? Please continue reading the following text.

More Flexible

As we all know, 40G and 100G applications prefer to use parallel SR4 optics (four fiber for transmitting and four fiber for receiving) to transmit data rates. Base-8 connectivity makes use of fiber links in increment of 8 versus 12 or 24, which can allow customers to patch directly to SR4 transceivers without having to convert connectors with different counts or waste fibers in the backbone. Therefore, if customers who still run 10G data rates deploy Base-8 MTP link at the very beginning could migrate to 40G, 100G or beyond without changing the current fiber link, which is more flexible and easy.

High Investment but High Return

Actually, compared to Base-12 and Base-24 backbones, Base-8 link requires higher investment, since more MTP connectors will be installed from the start. However, as we have mentioned above, Base-8 is the most suitable solution for SR4 applications which means that if managers plan to upgrade to higher speed 40/100G network, no additional conversion cable or conversion modules will be needed, bringing a higher return in the future.

100% Fiber Utilization

In most 40/100G cases, Base-12 backbones are more recommended to use between core switched and the equipment distribution area in the data center, but actually, there is no standardized transceiver using all 12 fibers in a Base-12 MTP connector. Besides, with more and more data center managers prefer to use SR4 interface in 40G and 100G applications, using Base-8 link can achieve 100% fiber utilization. So do you still insist on deploying Base-12 today and risk wasting 33% of backbone fibers as shown in the image below tomorrow, or going straight with Base-8 knowing that it will be the best investment in the future?

Summary

When deploying a new fiber link, we should consider in the long term instead of in the short term. All the proof that we have talked above have indicates that Base-8 MTP link will be the best solution for future-proofing your network. With Base-8 MTP link today, we can easily upgrade to 40G or higher speed network tomorrow.