Did you know fibre broadband could soon be delivered via drinking water mains?

As you would expect, ‘fibre in water’ doesn’t sound like a good thing. However, this new government initiative could not only improve the UK’s broadband and reduce the need for roadworks, but it could also save millions of litres of water.

The Fibre in Water initiative aims to improve access to advanced broadband and mobile services via our drinking water mains. Four million pounds worth of government research and development funding has been allocated to help water companies facilitate the delivery of advanced broadband and mobile services via drinking water mains. The aim is to connect the hardest to reach areas of the UK with advanced telecoms services, but without the need for the disruption, costs, time and work needed to install them separately. This would make it a quicker and greener solution to levelling up access to broadband in rural areas.

The idea is to pass fibre optic cables through existing water pipes. The pay-off for water companies will be that sensors in the cables will detect leaks, helping to reduce clean water leakage and resulting carbon emissions. There is currently estimated to be 20% clean water leakage, and Ofwat has a target to reduce leakage by 50%. The best way to detect leaks in your business is to take and submit monthly meter readings on MyAccount, to help you spot unusual consumption spikes.

Not only will this facility early leak detection, but it will also ensure your water bills are more accurate.

Do you think that this is a good initiative that will benefit us in the future?