Reduced-profile date transmission element connectors, adapters, and connection assemblies thereof

An optical fiber connector configured to plug into a port of an adapter comprising a latching recess, the optical fiber connector comprising:

• an MT ferrule, the MT ferrule configured to receive at least eight optical fibers at spaced apart locations along a fiber alignment axis;
• an outer housing having a front end portion and a rear end portion spaced apart along a longitudinal axis, the outer housing receiving the MT ferrule therein such that the MT ferrule is exposed through the front end portion for making an optical connection, the outer housing having a generally rectangular cross sectional shape, the outer housing comprising opposite first and second sides spaced apart along the fiber alignment axis and opposite third and fourth sides spaced apart along a perpendicular axis perpendicular to the fiber alignment axis, the first and second sides having a first dimension along the perpendicular axis and the third and fourth sides having a second dimension along the fiber alignment axis, the first dimension being less than the second dimension;
• and
• a depressible latch arm connected to the first side of the outer housing such that the depressible latch arm is spaced apart along the fiber alignment axis from the MT ferrule, the depressible latch arm comprising a front end portion and a hook portion spaced apart rearwardly from the front end portion along the longitudinal axis, the front end portion of the depressible latch arm being connected to the outer housing and the depressible latch arm being resiliently biased toward an non-depressed position at which hook portion is spaced apart from the first side of the outer housing along the fiber alignment axis, the hook portion of the latch arm being configured to latch into the latching recess of the adapter when the optical fiber connector plugs into the port, the depressible latch arm being configured to be depressed such that the hook portion moves toward the MT ferrule along the fiber alignment axis to unlatch the hook portion from the latching recess and release the optical fiber connector from the adapter port.