Internet pipeline: on a remote Scottish island, fiber optics were installed inside water pipes

One of the most remote islands in the UK, Papa Westray in the Orkney archipelago, has received a broadband fiber optic Internet connection thanks to a water supply, reports Datacenter Dynamics. The method is said to be more efficient and less “destructive” than conventional cable installation methods. It took contractor CloudNet eight months to complete all the work, and it was paid for by the Scottish authorities.

The pipeline already installed on the island provides drinking water to about 90 people. The fiber optic cable is located inside another tube located inside the water pipes. Of course, the cable will not be stretched in this way from the “mainland”. Reception and transmission of data is carried out using radio communication with the neighboring island of Westray, and the water supply is only the “last mile”. To monitor water quality on the island, sensors are additionally placed in the pipes.

Because of the island’s topography, the water pipes were ideal for installing fiber optics, CloudNet said, as it minimized excavation work and reduced project costs. It is expected that the new fiber-optic communication line will make it easier for residents to do business and access vital services such as healthcare and education. Representatives of the Scottish authorities are considering other ways to connect residents of rural communities to modern services.

In 2022, the British government announced a £4 million (then $5.6 million) project to use water networks to lay fiber optic cables in remote parts of the country. The project is known as Fiber in Water (FiW), and testing of the concept has begun in Yorkshire.