River Crossing & Limited Surface Options
Fiber, delivered below the surface
Deploy fiber optic cable faster and at a lower cost by using existing water pipes as a secure underground pathway, without trenching or aerial methods.
Fiber, delivered below the surface
Deploy fiber optic cable faster and at a lower cost by using existing water pipes as a secure underground pathway, without trenching or aerial methods.
30-40% lower TCO (total cost of ownership)
85% less TTM (time to market)
~1 mile/day per crew
The Fiber Build Dilemma
Coverage goals stall when the only choices are exposed, slow, or costly. Aerial routes are vulnerable and capacity constrained. Trenching and drilling add time, cost, and disruption that can derail schedules.
Aerial: Exposed and capacity-limited
Vulnerable to weather and damage; pole access and make-ready add delays and cost.
Trenching: Shallow cuts drive TCO
Slow and disruptive. Shallow burial means frequent cuts, repairs, truck rolls, and outages add up.
Drilling: Costly, slow, uncertain
Expensive and time-consuming; ground conditions and rework can derail schedules.
BlueGrid Communications reduces surface work, cuts damage-driven maintenance, and accelerates deployment by using existing water pipes as a protected underground pathway for fiber.
Fiber builds for the realities on the ground
BlueGrid Communications helps ISPs expand coverage where time, cost, terrain, or permitting make traditional fiber builds impractical, using existing water infrastructure as the pathway.
Accelerate dense builds with a protected underground pathway that reduces disruption and schedule risk.
ISPs
Reach areas where terrain and economics break traditional builds, with faster deployment and lower TCO.
Regional & Rural ISPs
Deliver “true fiber to the home” with minimal surface impact by using the customer’s water service pipes.
Municipal / Utility Broadband
Built for speed, cost control, and protection
Replace slow, disruptive builds with a below-surface pathway that reduces construction work, shortens timelines, and keeps fiber deep inside water pipes, protected many feet below ground.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Reduce cut risk and maintenance using a protected underground route; fewer permits, less restoration, fewer repair calls.
Faster time to market
Avoid trenching and reduce field time; streamlined planning and fewer workzones speed deployment.
Minimal disruption
Minimal access points and reduced surface work mean less traffic control and fewer repairs.
Added security & reliability
Fiber is housed deep below the surface in water pipes, reducing exposure to weather and accidental cuts.
Expandable by design
Extend or densify routes using the same protected corridor, adding capacity as demand increases.
“You’re going to save money, you’re going to save time, and don’t be afraid of it.”
Madison, KY
“Game changer, absolute time saver."
Anacortes, WA
“Rather than taking us years of permitting, and I don’t know how much money construction wise, it took us about a half an hour…” [to do an under river crossing]
Anacortes, WA
“When you run fiber in a water line, you don’t have to worry about it getting knocked off a pole. It’s in a water line, it’s secure.”
Richmond, KY
"Since the fiber was installed 9 years ago, NOT 1x has the fiber required any level of maintenance. That is unheard of for fiber. On their best day, they were installing 10,000 feet per day.”
Anacortes, WA
One pathway. Many network applications.
Use water infrastructure as a protected corridor for fiber to unlock hard-to-build routes, speed coverage expansion, and reduce disruption across trunk, last mile, and site backhaul needs.
Point-to-Point (P2P)
Secure trunk and last-mile routes through water infrastructure.
FTTH / Home Drop
Trenchless “true fiber to the home” via water service pipes.
MDU Connectivity
Fiber delivery into buildings with minimal disruption.
5G Backhaul
Protected fiber backhaul routes to support cell site expansion.
Backhaul + Last Mile
Coverage where terrain and economics break traditional builds.
Greenfield / Underserved
Fewer surface impacts in remote, tribal, or complex landscapes.
Emergency Cross-Comms
Secure, isolated connectivity between agencies when it matters most.
Space Diverse Data Center Links
Resilient backup links providing a truly redundant deeply buried alternative route.
A protected fiber corridor, built in.
BlueGrid Communications deploys fiber inside existing drinking water pipes, creating a stable underground route for connectivity with minimal surface disruption. The in-pipe technology is certified and tested to NSF/ANSI standards.
Aqualinq™ In-Pipe Fiber
Deploys Fiber in Pipes
Aqualinq is BlueGrid’s proprietary in-pipe deployment technology for installing fiber inside existing drinking water pipes, creating a stable route for connectivity with minimal surface disruption.
How fiber moves through the grid
Using patented Aqualinq technology, BlueGrid inserts fiber into live water pipes, uses water flow for rapid placement, and delivers a protected underground pathway with minimal surface footprint and room to expand.
Step 1
Live insertion of fiber inside drinking water pipes without interrupting water service.
Insert
Step 2
Water flow propels rapid placement with minimal labor and few access points.
Deploy
Step 3
The pipe becomes a below-surface corridor that reduces exposure to cuts and weather.
Protect
Step 4
Extend or densify the route using the same corridor as demand grows.
Expand
From signal to decision to field action
Observer is more than just a dashboard, it’s an intelligent command center, ensuring every drop of water is accounted for, every risk is identified, and every decision is backed by data-driven certainty. Designed for monitoring from urban water networks to industrial pipelines and everything in between, Observer puts AI-powered monitoring at your fingertips.
Visual-Driven Insight
Interactive visual analytics turn raw data into actionable intelligence with high-resolution mapping.
Automated Alerts
Real-time alerts deliver timely visibility so teams can investigate and respond faster.
Field and Control Room Alignment
Mobile alerts for technicians and a common view for operators keep stakeholders connected and informed across the response lifecycle.
Fits How Utilities Operate
Designed to support SCADA control room workflows as well as remote web and mobile access for field operations.
Field-proven in diverse environments
Challenge
What BlueGrid Enabled
“Most Innovative Water System of the Year” by Association of Washington Cities
Anacortes, WA
Installed 4,200 feet in one day.
Challenge
Emergency Service Connectivity
What BlueGrid Enabled
Where Horizontal Drilling Failed, We Succeeded, And At A 50% Cost Savings
Richmond, KY
Established a fixed, fiber optic communications path between emergency services.
Challenge
Aerial, Trenching, & Drilling Were Impossible
What BlueGrid Enabled
Delivered Fiber Connectivity On A Route Traditional Builds Couldn’t Reach
Izaga, Spain
Built the route with minimal surface disruption, even with rugged, no-road access.
Ready to evaluate a route?
Request a BlueGrid Communications assessment to identify where existing water infrastructure can accelerate deployment and reduce build cost.
Share candidate routes
Provide target neighborhoods, endpoints, and constraints (time, permitting, terrain).
Access feasibility
Confirm water-pipe pathway fit, access points, and deployment approach.
Plan the build
Align stakeholders and sequence the route for fast, low-disruption execution.
“They’re probably one of the best companies to work with. They were always there…to make sure everything was going right.”
Anacores, WA
“Working with BlueGrid from start to finish has been seamless.”
Anacortes, WA
“They were here from the very, very beginning. From when we first started discussing the project, coming on site, helping us with site surveys.”
Madison, KY
About BlueGrid Communications
BlueGrid Communications, an LWF Group Company, helps providers deploy fiber faster and reduce total cost by using existing water pipes as a protected underground pathway. It avoids exposed aerial plant and trench/drill disruption and because pipes are typically deeper, reduces cut risk and long-term maintenance.
Headquartered in the U.S., with offices globally. Backed by U.S. and U.K. research and development (R&D), including our state-of-the-art R&D campus in the UK, plus leading academic partnerships and deployments trusted across six continents and 18 countries.
- 10+ years of successful in-pipe installations across 6 continents
- 52+ granted and in pending patents spanning sensing, software intelligence, and deployment.
- 100+ combined years of R&D behind the technology and platform.
FAQ
What is Aqualinq™ Technology?
Aqualinq™ is BlueGrid’s fiber optic cable specially developed to be installed into water pipework enabling rapid and highly cost effective telecommunications and data networking rollout. With this approach, there’s no need for the labor-intensive processes of directional drilling or trenching.
By utilizing pipelines that are already in place, BlueGrid also sidesteps many of the bureaucratic hurdles typically involved in fibre optic deployment, such as obtaining permits from railway and highway authorities. This makes the deployment process not only faster but also significantly more cost-effective.
Special purpose Aqualinq techniques allow a fiber optic cable to be deployed while a water pipe is fully live, with no disruption to normal operating parameters
How long does the cable last in the pipe?
The Aqualinq™ cable is designed for a 20 year life expectancy and has undergone extensive and rigorous testing. The cable itself incorporates a water safe HDPE outer layer and a stainless steel armoured sheath to protect the fiber optic strands inside.
Is it safe in drinking water?
The outer sheath of the Aqualinq™ cable is made from the exact same material (HDPE) as plastic drinking water pipes and is completely safe. The cable is approved under the NSF/ANSI/CAN/61 standard which requires annual accreditation.
The cable has undergone rigorous testing for abrasion in both real life and laboratory installations along chemical leaching tests to ensure safety.
Robust dynamic disinfection procedures ensure a contamination-free fiber optic cable installation
How is the cable installed?
The Aqualinq™ cable is installed in links. A single link goes from an upstream manhole chamber to a downstream manhole chamber and installation takes typically 3-4 hours per chamber. First a draw line pulled by a parachute is inserted upstream in the pipe using BlueGrid Live Insert™ tools and the parachute pulls a draw line to the downstream chamber where it is caught and withdrawn. The cable is then pulled back via the draw line between the chambers to complete the installation.
How long does it take to install?
BlueGrid has developed installation methods that can be used by any competent contractor to install up to 1 mile of Aqualinq™ cable per day per team. A typical installation team consists of 4 to 5 people with a minimum of 2 per chamber.
What pipe materials can you install in?
To date the system has been installed in most materials including, cast iron, stainless steel, ductile iron, plastic and concrete.