Patent ID: 8718427

Claim:
A connectorized cable assembly comprising: a loose tube optical fiber cable including a plurality of non-buffered optical fibers, a strength member that at least partially surrounds the non-buffered optical fibers and a jacket surrounding the strength member and the non-buffered optical fibers; a first optical fiber connector assembly installed on a first end of the loose tube optical fiber cable; and a second optical fiber connector assembly installed on a second end of the loose tube optical fiber cable; wherein the strength member extends continuously from the first optical fiber connector assembly to the second optical fiber connector assembly and is configured to provide strain relief at both the first and second optical fiber connector assemblies; wherein the plurality of non-buffered optical fibers have a ribbonized configuration within at least part of the first optical fiber connector assembly and within at least part of the second optical fiber connector assembly, and have a loose tube configuration outside the first and second optical fiber connector assemblies; wherein a transition between the loose tube configuration and the ribbonized configuration occurs within the first optical fiber connector assembly.