Broadband has been rolled out to one of the UK's most remote islands via water pipes.
Residents and businesses in Papa Westray, Orkney Islands, UK, now have access to fiber services.
According to the Scottish government, it's the first time in the UK that fiber cables have been deployed within water pipes.
The eight-month project was delivered by contractor CloudNet, which made use of the community-owned water authority’s existing infrastructure with Scottish Government funding.
It's claimed that the method is more efficient and less disruptive than conventional cable-laying methods.
The water pipes are used to deliver drinking water to the island, which is home to around 90 people.
A fiber cable is delivered through a second pipe housed within the drinking water network.
The island is connected via a radio link from the neighboring isle of Westray before being distributed across the island using water pipes.
“This ingenious approach represents a less disruptive way of delivering faster connectivity to all on Papa Westray. Scotland is famous the world over for its innovation. We are working with rural communities in the most imaginative ways possible to bring faster broadband to some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the country," said Business Minister Richard Lochhead.
“This project showcases engineering creativity at its best and makes it easier for residents to do business and access essential services such as health and education."
To monitor the water quality on the island, remote sensors have been fitted along the water pipe.
“Due to the island topography, we used the water network to deliver fiber to the premises. This helped minimize excavations and excessive construction costs on the project to meet the program needs," added CloudNet managing director Greg Whitton.
In 2022 the UK government announced a £4 million (then $5.6m) project to use water mains to deploy broadband in remote locations, known as Fibre in Water (FiW). The project was to trial the concept in Yorkshire.