Patch Cords

How to choose a fiber patch cord

• Match the fiber grade to the plant you are patching into. A patch cord cannot upgrade the cable it connects to. OS2 single mode (9/125 um) belongs on single mode plant, OM3 (50/125 um) on laser-optimized multimode, and OM1 (62.5/125 um) only where you are matching existing 62.5 um cable. Mixing core sizes across a mated pair costs you loss you cannot recover.
• Match the connector at each end. Modern SFP, SFP+ and QSFP optics take LC. ODF ports and older equipment in Iraqi telecom rooms are frequently SC. Hybrid cords such as LC-SC and ST-SC exist precisely so you do not have to re-terminate one side.
• Simplex or duplex. Duplex carries a transmit fiber and a receive fiber in one cord and covers almost every Ethernet link. Simplex is a single fiber, used for BiDi optics and single-fiber PON work.
• Length. Order the length that reaches with a managed service loop and no more. Coiled excess in a rack is the most common cause of bend-radius damage in server rooms.

Fiber patch cord range

Jacket colour follows the grade: OM3 cords are aqua and OS2 cords are yellow, so a technician can identify the grade at the panel without reading a label. The reach figures published on the individual product pages are 10 Gbps over 10 km on OS2, and on OM3 10 Gbps to 300 m and 100 Gbps to 70 m.

Typical Iraqi applications

• ISP and telecom operator head-ends. OS2 duplex cords patching from the ODF into transport and OLT equipment.
• Bank and ministry server rooms in Baghdad and Erbil. OM3 LC-LC inside the rack row, OS2 LC-LC out to the campus backbone.
• Mixed-vintage sites. LC-SC and ST-SC cords let a new LC switch reach an existing SC or ST panel with no re-termination.
• University and hospital campuses. OS2 between blocks, multimode inside each block.

Complete the link with fiber pigtails, fiber adapters and an ODF enclosure. Full selection guide: Fiber Optic Patch Cord Types Explained.

For availability, lengths and project quantities anywhere in Iraq, contact a DAD LINK authorized distributor.