Residents and businesses in Cape Town will soon get connected via the city's sewage pipes.
This follows the move by the City of Cape Town's council to approve the installation of fibre-optic cables in the municipality's sewer and storm water pipes.
In a statement, Cape Town's mayoral committee member for corporate services and compliance, councillor Xanthea Limberg, expressed delight in the council's decision to approve the extension of telecommunications infrastructure this way.
"This innovative way of installing fibre-optic cabling will have far-reaching benefits, not only for the city but more importantly for our residents and businesses. The granting of the long-term rights will contribute to the accelerated roll-out of telecommunications infrastructure that is essential for economic development in Cape Town," Limberg says.
Not such a smelly idea
The traditional method of fibre deployment is to cut trenches into and under city streets to install conduit, splice vaults, and build entrance facilities. However, this method is seen as pervasive and taking a toll on the city streets.
Cape Town's decision to lay fibre-optic cables in municipality sewage pipes is not the first in the world. Major cities in Japan (Tokyo), France (Paris), the UK (London, Birmingham), and the US (New York, San Francisco) all have high-speed optical transport running through their underground waste facilities.
Telecoms network service provider Link Africa is the South African patent-holder for technology to deploy fibre-optic networks in existing underground municipal sewers and storm water pipes.
Focus technology enables Link Africa to use sewer and storm water pipes as ducts.
According to Link Africa, its fibre-optic network solution consists of a metropolitan transmission ring and last mile fibre-to-the-premises, which services operators and municipal customers alike. Link Africa only sells services to licensed telecommunication operators and not to end-customers.
Focus technology has been trialled extensively in eThekwini Municipality in Durban, says Link Africa on its Web site.
Long-term benefits
Last year, Cape Town officials announced R1.3 billion had been set aside for the multi-year infrastructure investment programme to establish a broadband network across the city.
For the 2015/2016 financial year, the city allocated a budget of R236 million for broadband infrastructure.
To date, Cape Town has installed 789km of fibre-optic cable in the city's own duct network.
According to Limberg, Cape Town is committed to playing its role as an enabler in partnership with the private sector to bridge the digital divide. "Such partnerships will ensure the city's vision of becoming the most digitally inclusive city in Africa is realised."
Despite concerns the sewer method of fibre deployment would increase blockages in the municipal pipes, Cape Town engineers found the risk was within a tolerance level that was acceptable to the city.
In addition, the terms of the agreement with Link Africa ensure the City of Cape Town will be able to fulfil its obligation to deliver municipal services should a blockage occur, according to Limberg.
The installation of fibre-optic cables in pipes will help to reduce the negative impact of open trenching on the built environment and municipal infrastructure such as roads and pavements, she notes.
"As a smart city that embraces innovative technologies, the city is working with many service providers to extend the availability of good telecommunications infrastructure throughout the city. These efforts are supported through our own investment in fibre-optics, which makes backhaul opportunities available to the private sector," says Limberg.
"The access to associated infrastructure will not only address the availability and speed of existing services, but will also help to reduce the cost of telecommunication services in Cape Town, which will create greater access and opportunities for smaller businesses within this sector," she concludes.
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