Understanding Fiber Polarity

What is Polarity?

What is Polarity?
In any installation, it is important to ensure that the optical transmitter at one end is connected to the optical
receiver at the other. This matching of the transmit signal (Tx) to the receive equipment (Rx) at both ends of the
fiber optic link is referred to as polarity.

Polarity Overview
Two types of fiber links are outlined in the TIA and IEC standards: serial duplex signals connections and parallel
signals connections. This internal paper discusses the impact of polarity as it pertains to serial duplex signals
and parallel signals.

Duplex Patch cords

Two types of duplex fiber patch cords are defined in the standards: A-to-A type shown in Figure bellow (top) and
A-to-B type (bottom).

Note: A-to-A patch cords are not commonly deployed and should be used only when necessary as part of a
polarity method (See ANSI/TIA-568-C.0).

MPO Fiber Adapter

There are two types of array adapters, Type A and Type B.

Type A adapters “straight through” Type B adapters “crossing”

Type A adapters mate two array connectors with the Type B adapters mate two array connectors with the
connector keys key- up to key-down. connector keys key-up to key-up (keys aligned).

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity systems
All connectivity methods have the same goal: to create an optical path from the transmit port of one device to the
receive port of another device. Different methods to accomplish this goal may be implemented; however, these
different methods may not be interoperable. Any connectivity method requires a specific combination of
components to maintain polarity. Some of the components may be common to other connectivity methods, but a
generic rule says that MPO-to-LC modules have to be used in a paired manner and can never be mixed.

The components associated with the three illustrated array polarity methods A, B and C are given in below tables.

Table 1 – Summary of components used for duplex signals

Connectivity MPO trunk MPO-to-LC Duplex Available in

method cable type module type patch cord type R&M portfolio
A or
A A S or Different types Yes
(one A-to-A and one A-to-B)
S+
B1 or
B B S or Identical types Yes
(two A-to-A or two A-to-B) (S and S+)
S+

C C A Identical types No
(two A-to-A or two A-to-B) (use S or S+)

Table 2 – Summary of components used for parallel signals

Connectivity MPO trunk MPO MPO Available in

method cable type adapter type patch cord type R&M portfolio
Key-up-to-key-down Different types
A A (black)
Yes
(one A and one B)

Key-up-to-key-up Identical types

B B (grey)
Yes
(two A or two B)

Key-up-to-key-down Identical types

C C (black)
No
(two A or two B)

1 Type B modules are coming in 2 flavors: B.1 and B.2 which are mostly implemented using the same part, but
different installation methods, e.g. B.1 standard and B.2 headlong (rotated).

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO8 patch cord

There are two different 8-fiber MPO-to-MPO cables: Type A and Type B.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO12 patch cord

There are three different 12-fiber MPO-to-MPO cables defined in the TIA standard. The three different cables:
Type A, B and C are used for the three different connectivity Methods A, B and C respectively. As Type C is a
rather special and application-specific wiring scheme, R&M focuses on Type A and B.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO24 patch cord

There are three different 24-fiber MPO-to-MPO cables defined in the TIA standard (TIA-568.3-D). The three
different cables: Type A, B and C are used for the three different connectivity Methods A, B and C respectively.
As Type C is a rather special and application-specific wiring scheme, R&M focuses on Type A and B.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO8-LC fanouts
There are two different 12-fiber MPO-to-LC fanout cables: Type A and Type B.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO12-LC fanouts
There are three different 12-fiber MPO-to-LC fanout cables: Type A, B and S.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO24-LC fanouts
There are two different 24-fiber MPO-to-LC fanout cables: Type A and B.

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

MPO-to-LC modules
All MPO adapters are key-up-to-key-down (black).

Base-8 modules
There is a single type of base-8 MPO modules: Type S+

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 72

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Base-12 modules
There are three different base-12 MPO modules: Type A, Type S and Type S+.

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type A

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type S

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type S+

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 72
Type A

Netscale 72
Type S+

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type A

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type S

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type S+

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Base-24 modules

There are three different base-24 MPO modules: Type A, Type S and Type S+.

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type A

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type S

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

HD
Type S+

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type A

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type S

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity type Inner fiber sequence

Netscale 120
Type S+

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity Method A

Polarity Method A for duplex signals using type A MPO-to-LC modules

Polarity Method A for duplex signals using type S MPO-to-LC modules

Polarity Method A for duplex signals using type S+ MPO-to-LC modules

Polarity Method A for parallel signals

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Understanding Fiber Polarity
What is Polarity?

Polarity Method B

Polarity Method B for duplex signals using type S MPO-to-LC modules

Polarity Method B for duplex signals using type S+ MPO-to-LC modules

Polarity Method B for parallel signals

The key-up-to-key-up adapter (Method B) does not support single mode with standards compliant APC connector
end faces.

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