Fibre through your taps

Now this is cifty thinking. Claire Rogers reports:

Homes and businesses could have ultrafast broadband on tap if trials by British firm i3 Group to deploy fibre cable through water pipes are successful.

The company said it was talking to all the bidders for the Government’s $1.5 billion ultrafast broadband scheme as well as Crown Fibre Holdings and expected to begin trials of its Atlantis fibre cabling system soon.

Chief technology officer Alasdair Rettie said it was working with those bidders to identify locations for the trials but some would probably take place in Auckland.

The Atlantis system deploys fibre encased in a tube through cold water pipes and is designed to be used in the final stage of a fibre rollout, connecting premises to fibre in the street.

The biggest cost of fibre is digging up the ground to lay it. If it can be pushed through existing pipes, without degrading the quality of longevity, then tha could be a real cost saver.