Fiber internet provider says it can detect water pipe leaks using existing infrastructure, preventing losses of 2 million liters per day over three months — LightSonic technology detects underground vibrations and machine learning pinpoints source

Openreach, which operates the UK’s largest full-fibre network, has announced that it can detect water leaks near fiber infrastructure by detecting nearby vibrations. According to the company, The BT Group subsidiary uses distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), a technology developed by Lightsonic, a start-up company that develops monitoring technology using existing fiber infrastructure. DAS analyzes changes in a light beam traveling through a fiber optic cable caused by underground vibrations. Machine learning is then used to pinpoint the exact location of the obstruction and distinguish it from ambient noise and daily traffic conditions.

The infrastructure company has announced that it will launch a pilot project in five locations in partnership with water utility Affinity Water, which delivers drinking water to parts of London, the East of England and the South East of England, serving more than 3.8 million customers. This technology enables Openreach and Affinity Water to provide 24/7 monitoring across 650 km, or 400 miles, of water pipes in Walton-on-Thames, Hemel Hempstead, Luton, Chesham/Amersham and Wear, rather than relying on specialist teams who can only work on specific sections of water infrastructure at a time.