Yorkshire pilots delivering broadband through water pipes

Yorkshire Water has received £1.2 million government funding to pilot using its pipes to deliver broadband to rural areas after the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) approved the method.

The scheme, if successful, will connect parts of South Yorkshire with fibre optic broadband cables through 17km of Yorkshire’s live network between Barnsley and Penistone.

The DWI had to approve the use of the technology to ensure there would be no detrimental impact to water quality or consumer safety. Yorkshire will fit the fibre cables into messenger pipes to make sure they do not touch the water.

Yorkshire will now carry out investigations ahead of the pilot that will also allow analysts to use same structure to detect leaks or cracks in pipes via sensors.

Sam Bright, innovation programme manager at Yorkshire said: “The technology for fibre in water has significantly progressed in recent years and this project will now enable us to fully develop its potential to help improve access to better broadband in hard-to-reach areas and further reduce leakage on our networks.”

Using existing water infrastructure, which covers 99% of the country, in this way could offer a cost-effective way for broadband providers to connect remote locations.

Julia Lopez, digital infrastructure minister, said using existing water pipes would accelerate deployment of faster broadband without the obstacle of digging up roads and land to lay cables.

She added that the government is “committed to breaking down barriers to better broadband” as part of the levelling up agenda.

The process has been used in Spain, Israel and the US but this would be the first trial in the UK. Yorkshire has partnered with Arcadis and the University of Strathclyde to deliver the pilot.