An optical fiber connector terminates the end of an optical fiber. A variety of optical
fiber connectors are available. The main differences among the types of connectors are
dimensions and methods of mechanical coupling. Generally, organizations standardize
on one kind of connector, depending on the equipment that they commonly use, or they
standardize per type of fiber (one for MMF, one for SMF). Taking into account all the
generations of connectors, about 70 connector types are in use today. Figure 3-21 shows
some common connector types.