Abstract: A ribbon handler assembly holds an optical fiber ribbon during thermal stripping, cleaving and mass fusion splicing. The handler assembly includes a body defining a ribbon channel in an upper surface, an array section of fiber grooves extending longitudinally a predefined length from one end of the ribbon channel, wherein a nominal spacing of each individual groove of the array section of fiber grooves is greater than a nominal fiber spacing of fibers in an optical fiber ribbon configured to be placed into the ribbon channel.