Splice-on optical connectors for multicore fibers

An optical connector for terminating a cable containing one or more multicore fibers, comprising:

• a plug housing having a front end and a back end;
• a ferrule dimensioned and arranged to be positioned within the plug housing so that a front end of the ferrule is positioned at the front end of the housing;
• a multicore fiber (MCF) stub including a certain length of a first MCF, wherein a portion of the first MCF is fixed inside the ferrule so that a first endface of the MCF is exposed to be polished at the front end of the ferrule;
• a second endface of the MCF opposite the first endface is cleaved so that the second endface is in condition to be fusion spliced to a second MCF contained in a MCF cable that is to be terminated by the optical connector;
• a frame dimensioned and formed to snap into a back end of the plug housing;
• and wherein the ferrule has a flange, and the frame is arranged to engage the flange for rotation, so that cores contained in the first MCF can be aligned and positioned in a determined orientation with respect to the plug housing, and cores contained in the second MCF can be aligned with corresponding cores in the first MCF when the first and the second MCFs are fusion spliced to one another.