Super-Fast Broadband Via the Sewer System in the United Kingdom

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Bournemouth, UK is a lot like Florida in the U.S., as it is a popular destination for senior citizens go after retirement. It's a seaside resort place. It may look laid back from the outside but it is planning to have the country’s first super-fast broadband connection, with speeds up to 100Mbps.

Instead of digging up new holes in the countryside to lay cables, city council wants to lay the cables in the sewers.

H20 Networks Ltd., will oversee the operation.

Normally, cables are laid 45 cm (1.5 feet) below the ground, but with sewer systems, the cables will be laid 10 meters (32.8 feet) below the surface. Thus it will protect the cables from inclement weather and damages.

Since there is no digging involved, the fiber optic cables can be easily installed. In the U.K., there are currently 360,000 miles of sewers, so laying fiber optic cables will be easy compared to digging holes.

Currently, the fiber optic cables zigzag underwater oceans, so laying them in sewers won’t be a problem. The cables can be installed on the roofs of the sewer system and can be easily accessed later in case of repairs.