bsjfan0 t1_jefn2qt wrote on March 31, 2023 at 5:40 PM

Reply to comment by Mysticpoisen in Japan and China Connect Military Hotline to Reduce Tensions by bloomberg

But why copper and not fiber?

Mysticpoisen t1_jefxy9f wrote on March 31, 2023 at 6:52 PM

Copper is capable of both analog and digital communications and is much cheaper to lay and maintain. Insane fiber bandwidths aren't necessary for a single-use line.

Befuddled_Cultist t1_jeg5zu1 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 7:45 PM

Fiber is also capable of analog and digital communication I think.

iprothree t1_jeg9bxu wrote on March 31, 2023 at 8:08 PM

You can but I think the planners saw it as it's much more expensive and complicated for little to no benefit. Phone calls only need about 60 kbps of bandwidth, everything above is essentially wasted space on a dedicated line. And due to how light works, adjusting modulation over glass is a bit harder vs copper. Most analog communication over fiber uses a converter to convert to digital.

Besides I think it'll probably just be tapping into existing infrastructure and being allocated dedicated bandwidth.

Ok-Camp-7285 t1_jegrqg3 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 10:14 PM

Why would OP hope it's copper just to reduce cost? Seems an odd thing to be concerned with

InadequateUsername t1_jeg9kls wrote on March 31, 2023 at 8:09 PM

Fibre isn't suspectible to EMI or crosstalk though

Mysticpoisen t1_jegajla wrote on March 31, 2023 at 8:16 PM

Sure, but for an shielded undersea line with at most two queues, neither are particularly concerning for this use case.

Darth_Cartsalot t1_jegx9tr wrote on March 31, 2023 at 10:56 PM

I am persuaded!

machstem t1_jegl1cj wrote on March 31, 2023 at 9:27 PM

Copper can also carry electricity which is useful for devices that power over ethernet