Yorkshire Water and partners pick £1.2m to kickstart broadband- in-water pipes project

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

A partnership including Yorkshire Water, the University of Strathclyde and Arcadis has received a £1.2 million government grant to kickstart a UK market for broadband fibre optic networks housed in water assets.

The water company will carry out investigations in South Yorkshire to plan the pilot, which would be a first for the UK. If the initial investigative phase scheme is successful, fibre optic cables will be laid in 17km of Yorkshire Water’s network between Barnsley and Penistone in South Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire project will be the first in the UK accord to the water company. Other countries where they are in play include Spain, Israel, and the USA. Technology to insert fibre optic cables into water pipes was approved for use in the UK by the Drinking Water Inspectorate in 2019.

Yorkshire Water anticipates being able to tap into the data carrying capacity of broadband in their pipes to detect cracks, bursts and leaks so that they can be repaired quicker, reducing water loss and disruption to customers. Utilising existing water infrastructure could, Yorkshire said, provide a cost-effective means for broadband providers to service hard-to-reach areas, while water customers benefit from an associated reduction in leakage.

Broadband companies see inserting their networks into water pipeline as a way to avoid digging up roads which constitutes one their biggest obstacles to accelerate their deployment of fibre.