On Sun, Nov 08, 1998 at 02:51:07PM -0800, Steve Schear wrote:
With the advent of fiber optics capable of repeater-less operation over transoceanic distances, one would think this sort of underwater surveilence would be come much more difficult.
Actually they use optical amplifiers rather than repeaters and are thus repeaterless in that sense rather than depending on the loss of a single passive fiber being small enough to work all the way across the pond. But one supposes the technology of tapping the cables must have been developed, though indeed a lot harder because one has to actually dig into the cable (and deal with the high voltage for powering the amplifiers and so forth) and tap the individual fibers with quantum coupling type taps. And one supposes the taps are more detectable. The whole issue may be moot by virtue of the extent to which the carriers are in bed with UKUSA anyway, however, as there aren't very many fiber cables run by unfreindly parties unwilling to part with the bitstream...
--Steve
-- Dave Emery N1PRE, die@die.com DIE Consulting, Weston, Mass. PGP fingerprint = 2047/4D7B08D1 DE 6E E1 CC 1F 1D 96 E2 5D 27 BD B0 24 88 C3 18