i3 responds to Bournemouth sewer fibre cancellation

Following our story yesterday about the scrapping of Bournemouth's sewer-fibre broadband scheme, the i3 Group has finally come up with a statement on the matter.

i3 Group said Wessex Water had been short sighted in putting commercial demands above "the opportunity to provide a low cost fibre optic network that will deliver superfast broadband to their own customers".

"Citing technical issues as a reason is misleading in respect to the viability of the i3 Group's FS System, a patented method of laying fibre in ready made ducts including sewer pipes," i3 said, adding that the announcement of Fibrecity Bournemouth as a commercial venture had followed Wessex Water's permission for the sewer pipes to be used.

The company described the use of micro-trenching and digging up roads as a way to avoid the rollout "coming to a halt", and noted that Bournemouth Borough Council had given planning permission for these techniques to be used.