thowawy3216
Re:Undersea Cable System Cuts in Singapore
on Wednesday March 02, 2016 @08:53PM (#11214533)
Modern cables don't have high voltage to worry about. The signals are amplified optically:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_amplifier#Doped_fiber_...
It isn't necessary to bend a fiber either. Optical fibers can be tapped via evanescent wave coupling. The fiber cores just need to be near enough to each other over a long enough span, possibly with some removal of the outer cladding.
Notable patents:
"There is a need for coupling light into and from an optical transmission line without interrupting the flow of transmission. Such lines may be used for communications, as well as other purposes.[1]"
1. https://www.google.com/patents/US3933410
2. https://www.google.com/patents/US4097117
3. https://www.google.com/patents/US4377403