Affinity Water has awarded a contract to Lightsonic to roll out distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) technology on Openreach’s existing fibre network in a bid to accelerate leak detection across its supply area.
The agreement extends a trial of the technology that converts standard fibre-optic cables into thousands of acoustic “virtual sensors”.
These sensors are designed to pick up the distinctive sounds of escaping water and, according to the firms, machine learning is used to separate genuine leak signals from background noise such as road traffic and construction.
The move comes as the UK water sector faces mounting pressure to tackle leakage. Industry figures estimate the country loses about 3bn/l of treated water each day, which represents nearly a quarter of the nation’s supply. The sector has committed to halving leakage by 2050; Affinity Water has set an interim target of a 31% reduction by 2030 against its 2019/20 baseline.
Affinity and Lightsonic say the DFOS approach, by using existing telecoms infrastructure, can detect leaks faster than some conventional methods and operate continuously rather than intermittently. Faster detection has the potential to reduce the scale of water loss, limit the disruption caused by emergency street works and allow repairs to be scheduled during less disruptive times.
The partnership highlights a growing trend of collaboration between utilities and the telecoms industry, using fibre networks for purposes beyond data transmission. Openreach’s nationwide network offers wide geographic reach, which proponents argue makes DFOS relatively scalable and cost‑effective compared with deploying bespoke sensor networks.
However, the technology remains at the implementation and evaluation stages and several practical questions will determine its wider uptake. These include the accuracy of leak localisation in complex urban environments, the rate of false positives and false negatives, the costs of integrating alarm data into existing water company operational systems and arrangements for data access and security when third‑party infrastructure is involved.
Regulators and campaigners have pressed water companies to demonstrate faster progress on leakage reductions, tying performance to customer bills and investment plans. For companies operating older pipe networks, such innovations are viewed as part of a broader toolkit that includes pipe replacement, pressure management and targeted repairs.
Affinity Water said the contract was a significant investment in its leakage reduction strategy; Lightsonic described the project as a scale-up from its earlier trials. The financial terms and detailed rollout timetable were not disclosed.
As the pilot moves into wider deployment on Openreach’s network, the success of the approach will be judged on whether it delivers measurable reductions in water loss and operating costs, and whether it can be integrated reliably into the day‑to‑day maintenance regimes of water companies.
Affinity Water head of leakage James Curtis said: “This is a transformative moment for our leakage strategy.
“By harnessing Lightsonic’s advanced fibre optic sensing technology and Openreach’s extensive network, we’re unlocking a new era of proactive leak detection.
“This will help us meet our ambitious leakage reduction targets and deliver a more resilient service to our customers.
Openreach director of network technology Trevor Linney said: “Openreach is constantly looking at leveraging new technology and innovation to improve the resilience and efficiency of our network.
“Openreach’s fibre network is already part of the critical national infrastructure of the UK – and this new technology could enable us to help protect the other networks critical to people’s lives across the country.
“In supporting Affinity Water and Lightsonic in this pilot project we aim to show how our infrastructure can deliver value far beyond broadband—helping to solve real-world challenges like water conservation.”
Lightsonic chief executive Tommy Langnes said: “This contract is a major milestone for Lightsonic and a testament to the power of collaboration. We’re proud to scale our technology with Affinity Water and Openreach to help protect one of our most precious resources. This is just the beginning—fibre sensing has the potential to revolutionise utility monitoring across the UK and beyond.”
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