No Kevlar : unsuitable !
I've been in this buisness since 1999, so let me share some info, as I was a trainer.
Kevlar is sexy, but unusable for these cables. It is used in terrestrial cables for its _tensile_ strength. Meaning you can pull on it with little damage. When it comes to submarine cables, you have bending, pinching and grounding problems (for the outer conductor=armouring). The first two deal about mechanics, so kevlar does not have the required rigidity. The last one deals with... sharks !
An electrical current flows through the cable in what's called the "inner conductor". This is to power the "repeaters" (optical amplifiers every 75km). The current is DC, around 1A, but sometimes high voltage (up to 12 kV on several thousands km). Sharks never can "sense" DC voltage.
Sharks have the "Lorenzini organs" : it senses AC electrical fields, such as the ones going through nerves or muscles of their preys. Normally, there is no AC in submarine cables.
I said _Normally_. In case of cable break, an AC voltage is fed into the cable so the cable ship can spot the cable break on the seabed using an electromagnetic sensor. Around the break (no more shielding) the sharks feel this 37.5 Hz wave (wounded fish is around 30-35 Hz).
But, then... who cares if they bite the cable, as the cable is _already_ broken there ?
Just the Google idiots, who don't know about this business. I trained some of them on this technology. They talked about AI, but never showed any NI (natural intelligence).
Biting the hand that feeds IT
