A US telecoms company plans to use Dublin's ageing sewerage system as a digital superhighway capable of transmitting data directly into businesses and homes.
Maryland-based CityNet Telecom wants to use miniature robots to deploy miles of fibre optic cable in the city's sewers to connect individual buildings with existing fibre networks.
The company held talks with Dublin Corporation and Fingal County Council earlier this month and intends formally to apply to gain access to the sewers early this year. Dublin's system of sewers was built from the 1860s onwards and is made up of 1,500 miles of pipes spread throughout the length and breadth of the city.
The "fibre in the sewers" strategy is being advanced by CityNet Telecom chief executive, Mr Bob Berger, a telecoms expert and sewer authority commissioner.
"We aim to bridge the last mile divide between slow, old copper wires which connect homes and businesses and existing metropolitan fibre rings capable of high speed data transfer," said Mr Berger.
"We can do this without digging up the streets or facing a concrete jungle. We can deploy our fibre 60 per cent faster by using the sewers compared to digging."
CityNet would generate revenue by leasing capacity on its network to other telecoms companies who want to offer high speed data services to customers.
In return for using Dublin's sewerage system the company would provide local authorities with shared revenues, monitoring and some maintenance and repair facilities.
CityNet's plan may offer Dublin's local authorities an attractive alternative to the existing situation with multiple telecoms operators digging up the streets of the city.
The fibre is also considered superior to alternative last mile connections such as digital subscriber line, which may be rolled out by other telecoms operators this year.
However, the idea has met some opposition from sewerage officials. "I'm not overly enthusiastic about the idea," said Mr Brian Smyth, chief engineer of the drainage division. "There is an issue with the way we clean the sewers and it could pose a safety issue."
A decision on the project will be made by local authority management early this year. The concept of using sewers as a means of deploying fibre is not unique. A Swiss company, Ka-Te Holdings, has built robots to deploy fibre in Hamburg and Vienna, where pilot projects have already started.
Following a funding round worth $100 million (€106.69 million) CityNet purchased more than 50 robots from Ka-Te and has recently secured contracts with US cities Albuquerque and Omaha.
CityNet, which is negotiating additional funding worth $150 million, is talking to about 30 US cities and 10 European cities, according to Mr Berger. He said he was hopeful Dublin would be in CityNet's first wave of European deployment because of the strength of Ireland's economy and its high concentration on technology.
Mr Berger said Cork or Galway may be included in a further deployment.
The fibre is installed by a six inch-wide, 36-inch-long cylindrical robot which is lowered down a manhole into the sewer.
The robot installs steel rings on the inside of the sewer pipe every few feet to create space for the fibre, which is propelled through pipes with air pressure.
