Some Information about the Fiber Pigtail

   Fiber cables need to have connectors fitted before they can attach to other equipment. Pigtails and fan-out kits are two different solutions to terminate the fiber with connectors.
Pigtails
   A fiber pigtail is a single short, usually unbuffered, optical fibre that has an optical connector on one end and a length of exposed fiber at the other end.
The end of the pigtail is stripped and fusion spliced to a single fiber of a multi-fiber trunk to break out the multi-fiber cable into its component fibers for connection to the end equipment.
Pigtails can have female connectors and be mounted in a patch panel, often in pairs although single-fiber solutions exist, to allow them to be connected to endpoints or other fiber runs with patch fibers. Alternatively they can have male connectors and plug directly into an optical transceiver.
Fan-out Kit (breakout kit)
   A fan-out kit is a set of empty jackets designed to protect the fragile tight buffered strands of fiber cables that require individual termination without splicing any fiber pigtail or needing to mount any protective enclosure. This is normally an option with fiber distribution cable, or sometimes loose buffer or ribbon cable, because these types of cable contain multiple strands that are designed for a permanent termination.
Zip-cord style jackets, including those that contain Aramid yarn as the strength member, can be slipped over usually multiple fiber strands coming out of a loose buffer cable to convert it to a complete set of single-fiber cables that directly attach optical connectors. A plastic boot is normally used for strain relief and protection from moisture. Use of a breakout kit enables a fiber-optic cable containing multiple loose buffer tubes to receive connectors without the splicing of pigtails.