Government unveils plan to run broadband cables through water pipes
Investigations into allowing network operators to run cables through the electricity, gas, water and sewer networks, and alongside roads and railways
The government has launched a £4 million scheme to support running fibre-optic cables through water pipes, in order to connect homes to fast broadband that would otherwise be hard to reach without disruptive excavations or expensive construction work.
In a press release, digital infrastructure minister Matt Warman said he is consulting on options to change the regulations, potentially allowing broadband network operators to run broadband cables through the electricity, gas, water and sewer networks, and alongside roads and railways.
"These measures could significantly reduce the time and cost it takes to roll out gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business in the UK, giving people future-proof internet connections capable of reaching download speeds of up to 1 gigabit (1,000 megabits) per second," the press release says.
Installing new ducts and poles for broadband cables accounts for almost four-fifths of the cost of new broadband infrastructure, according to the government.
The £4 million fund will be used to investigate how existing passive infrastructure can be used to speed the rollout of high-speed broadband, as part of an ongoing review of the Access to Infrastructure (ATI) Regulations 2016. Those regulations govern access to physical infrastructure across the utility, transport and communications sectors, but the government says that to date they have not been widely used to share infrastructure.
The government is behind on a key election promise of delivering gigabit-speed broadband to every home by 2025, last November downgrading its commitment to "a minimum of 85 per cent coverage". This move was derided by campaigners who feared rural communities would be left behind.
The initiative could also be used to place leak sensors in water pipes, according to The Guardian, to reduce continuing problems with wasted water that suppliers have been slow to fix.