A license agreement between Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. and US Conec Ltd. enables Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp. to manufacture MMC connector and TMT ferrule components. On March 8, US Conec announced the license agreement, saying the connectors and components will be used “for the deployment of next-generation, high-density, multi-fiber cabling solutions. US Conec’s MMC connector combines a novel, reduced-footprint multi-fiber ferrule with a very small form factor (VSFF) connector footprint, which is one-third the size of the MPO format.”
The company added the collaboration to deliver MMC solutions supports active hyperscale data center cabling programs and ensures a robust supply chain for emerging and future optical link architectures. Initial deployments include 24-fiber singlemode, low-loss MMC connectors.
“US Conec is a leader in the development of next-generation VSFF multi-fiber connectivity, and we are pleased partner with them to deliver connectivity solutions using their MMC connector, which is indispensable for building next-generation data centers,” said Yoshiyuki Suetsugu, deputy general manager of Sumitomo Electric’s info-communications business unit. “We will leverage our precision molding technology to produce and sell solutions utilizing MMC connectivity to help customers overcome their challenges for saving space and reducing installation time, thereby contributing to the realization of an advanced information society.”
Joe Graham, president of US Conec, added, “We are excited to partner with Sumitomo Electric on next generation high-density connectivity solutions with the MMC connector platform. Their long history as a premier MT ferrule maker makes Sumitomo Electric an excellent second-source partner for TMT ferrules and MMC connector components. Combining Sumitomo Electric’s proven high-performance component background with state-of-the-art cable technology will help to ensure a robust supply chain for emerging fiber-optic networks built with groundbreaking MMC-based cabling solutions.”
US Conec further explained the context in which this agreement arrives: “Next-generation link architectures employing 400G and beyond demand higher-density fiber-optic cabling solutions that cannot be met with existing MPO technology. The VSFF MMC connector format solves these density challenges and facilitates data center design and deployment with low-loss optical performance, use of MT ferrule alignment structure for backward compatibility, simplified polarity and gender management, and the support of future fiber-optic cabling technologies.”
