In the era of rapid 5G development, demands for high bandwidth, low latency, and wide connectivity challenge underlying transmission infrastructure. As a core component of high-density optical interconnection, MPO fiber jumpers play an indispensable role in 5G network construction, supporting efficient 5G signal transmission.
I. Solving High-Density Wiring in Base Stations: From “Cable Jungle” to “Minimalist Deployment”
5G networks adopt massive MIMO, upgrading single base station antenna arrays from 4G’s 4T4R/8T8R to 64T64R or even 128T128R, surging signal channels from dozens to hundreds. This creates a “high-density” wiring demand between base stations and BBUs.
Traditional LC single-core jumpers for a 64T64R base station require 64 pairs (128 total) of jumpers. In the 1-2 square meter base station equipment room, this forms a “cable jungle”—occupying over 70% of cabinet space, causing poor heat dissipation, and requiring 2-3 hours for troubleshooting.
MPO jumpers’ multi-core design solves this. A 24-core MPO jumper needs only 5-6 units for a 64T64R base station, reducing wiring by over 90%. In practice, an operator replaced 156 LC jumpers with 12 24-core MPO ones in urban core base stations: cabinet wiring space dropped from 1.2 to 0.3 square meters, heat dissipation improved by 40%, and troubleshooting time shortened to under 30 minutes.
II. Adapting to Fronthaul Rate Upgrades: From “Bandwidth Bottleneck” to “High-Speed Channel”
The 5G fronthaul network connects base stations and DUs, with performance affecting 5G signal real-time performance. As 5G expands to millimeter-wave, single base station bandwidth needs jump from 25G to 100G (200G for high-end scenarios), requiring adaptation to CPRI and eCPRI protocols.
MPO jumpers excel here: their precision ceramic ferrules and multi-core parallel transmission support 25G/50G per core. A 12-core MPO jumper achieves 300G-600G total bandwidth, covering 5G fronthaul needs. With “MPO to LC branch jumpers”, they flexibly adapt to CPRI’s “multiple low-speed parallel channels” and eCPRI’s “fewer high-speed concentrated channels”. In a China Mobile pilot, switching CPRI/eCPRI modes with MPO links only needed terminal adapter replacement, cutting time from 8 to 1 hour.
MPO connectors have better insertion loss control (single-end ≤0.3dB vs. LC’s ≤0.5dB). In a 10-kilometer fronthaul link, total signal attenuation stays under 3dB, ensuring stable 5G signals post-transmission.
III. Supporting Flexible Mid-Haul/Backhaul Expansion: From “Fixed Architecture” to “Elastic Network”
5G mid-haul/backhaul networks handle data aggregation and backbone transmission, needing to cope with “user scale surge” and “dynamic service scheduling”. MIIT data shows 5G base stations’ daily throughput is 8-10x 4G’s, set to double in 3 years, requiring “rapid expansion” capability.
Traditional single-core jumper systems need new fibers for expansion, involving re-excavating troughs (costing over 100,000 yuan) and interrupting services (4 hours). MPO jumpers’ modular design changes this: with high-density ODFs, expansion is done by “adding MPO modules”. For example, upgrading a data center from 100G to 400G needs only 4 24-core MPO modules, costing 20,000 yuan with no service interruption.
MPO jumpers support “multi-core scheduling”. In 5G mid-haul/backhaul “mesh networks”, adjusting MPO connector docking enables flexible data forwarding. An operator’s core room saw 60% higher scheduling efficiency, responding quickly to high-traffic scenarios.
IV. Adapting to Complex Environments: From “Scenario Limits” to “All-Round Reliability”
5G covers complex scenarios—underground pipe corridors, remote mountain base stations, and vibrating subway-line stations—demanding strong environmental adaptability.
MPO jumpers are designed for this: weather-resistant PVC sheaths work stably at -40℃~70℃ and in 95% humidity. Zinc alloy connector shells meet IEC 60068-2-6 anti-vibration standards. In subway-line base stations, 3-month vibration tests showed ≤0.1dB insertion loss variation.
Armored MPO jumpers have aramid yarn and stainless steel armor (1500N tensile strength), deployable directly buried or overhead. In remote mountain base stations, wiring time dropped from 3 to 1 day.
V. Future Outlook: A “Core Carrier” for 5G
As 5G evolves to 5G-A, networks will move toward “10-gigabit rate, millisecond latency, 100-billion connections”, driving optical transmission demand. MPO jumpers iterate too—48/72-core models exist, with future “100G per core” to fit 5G-A and 6G.
Our company, with over 10 years in fiber jumpers, offers 5G MPO jumpers passing “Telecom Certification” and “RoHS”. Using high-precision grinding (ferrule concentricity ≤0.5μm), they undergo 1000 insertion tests and full optical checks, fitting Huawei/ZTE 5G equipment. We provide customized solutions for base station wiring, fronthaul, and mid-haul/backhaul expansion, enabling efficient, stable, low-cost 5G optical interconnection.