Super-Fast Broadband Via the Sewer System
Bournemouth, UK, is often mocked by many of the British for the average age of its citizens. In short, a seaside resort where many go to die. Jack Dee once quipped that the shop windows are all fitted with bi-focals to allow passers-by to ascertain what lies within.
But the citizens, it seems, are having the last laugh as it has been reported this week that the town is to be the first in the UK to make use of the sewer system in a whole new way.
Rather than rely on the rather un-environmentally friendly process of digging up swathes of countryside and road to lay cables, H2O Networks Ltd have been called in for the gig.
As is so often the case, simple ideas seem to have manifest benefits and using sewer systems to lay fibre optic cables is a case in point.
As already stated, there is no need to dig up roads.
Conventional cables are normally laid a mere 45 cm below ground. Utilising the sewer systems means that the cables lie a full 10 metres below ground, decreasing the likelihood of damage and increasing security in potentially dangerous situations.
And of course, with no digging needed, with the sewers already in place, getting the fibre optics laid can be achieved far more quickly.
So, as many Britons languish behind with slow internet access, Bournemouth is casually reinventing itself as a rather fast, happening town, and in the not-too-distant future, will enjoy internet speeds approaching 100Mbps.
The UK has 360,000 miles worth of sewers. As Elfed Thomas, CEO of H2O Networks says:
“This is just the start of bringing next generation connectivity to the UK.”
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Photo of Victorian sewer courtesy of Flickr
This is old hat elsewhere. MFS (Metro Fiber Systems, later acquired by UUNet, which was then acquired by MCI/WorldCom, etc) was laying fiber in metro right of ways (sewers and other such structures) in major metro areas of the US going back to at least the mid 90’s. They were using this to deliver 10mbit links to metro-area businesses in their early days, but fiber being fiber the capacities being sold to the end user went way up over time. These sorts of facilities are still being used heavily in metro areas in the US by many carriers, offering up to 10Gbit/sec connections to downtown US business locations.
Does this mean there will more toilet humor on the internet in these areas?
Maintenance will be a b*tch, and “H2O Networks” is an ironic name at that.
The obvious next step from this idea is that all new developments should have a services tunnel of adequate diameter for a man to ride a motor bike through it. All services to be installed in the tunnel: gas, power, telecoms, water, stormwater and sewage. T offs to individual properties such as houses could be through pipes so that cables could be fed through to eleiminate digging and trenching. Over the lifetime of the development it would pay off handsomely and give better service to the users.
There’s a surf spot in Los Angeles called “Sh*t Pipe”, I think that’s an appropriate name for this type of internet connection.
H20 Networks….Fast as sh*t.
Great idea if it works for the long term. As the article does not really cover any of the negatives of such a solution.
Using the sewer system for rights of way is a very common option in cities. And it makes great business for whoever runs the sewers ! Rivers, the metro, natural gas pipelines, rail tracks, electricity lines, motorways, old pneumatic tube networks, purpose made urban galleries, trenches in the street… There a whole developed market for rights of way usable for running fiber, and sewers are just one of the competitors.
Talk about a sh**ty internet connection.
OMG! “A series of tubes…”
What happens when a plumber needs to auger (roto-rooter) the lines?