Sense
Light pulses travel through existing fiber. Tiny ground vibrations change the reflected signal.
System status: active
Only you can protect critical infrastructure.
Fiber does more than carry connections—it can feel the ground around it. FOSTER shows how that sensing protects assets above and below ground.
The mission
Turn fiber into a listening line.
Distributed fiber optic sensing transforms ordinary cable into thousands of virtual sensors—protect terrestrial fiber from damage, prevent copper and fiber theft, protect subsea fiber and power cables, detect municipal water infrastructure leaks and bursts, secure rail, pipelines, utilities, borders and asset perimeters around the clock.
Recognize
The system separates excavators and other threats from traffic, footsteps, and normal activity.
Respond
Operators receive an exact location and early warning, giving crews time to stop damage.
Educational series
FOSTER’S field guides
Short, clear lessons about sensing, safety, and the infrastructure beneath our feet.
0110 second briefingDigging Impact — Fiber Sensing
Threat Detection
0210 second briefingFoster Protects Valuable Data Centre Links
Data Centers
0310 second briefingSubsea Fiber Optic Sensing Protection
Subsea Cables
0410 second briefingCopper Theft
Theft Prevention
0510 second briefingWater Leak Detection Using Fiber Optic Sensing
Water Infrastructure
0610 second briefingFOSTER Builds an ISP Sales Plan
Industry Insight
Knowledge library
Industry research and reports.
The reports, white papers, and field studies behind the lessons—what sensing can detect, how it performs, and where it is being deployed.
Report
storage.googleapis.com · 2026
Fiber Optic Sensing: New Applications and Revenue Opportunities for CSPs and Fiber Providers in North America
Fiber-optic cables are evolving beyond their traditional role as data conduits to become sophisticated distributed sensor networks. This multi-functionality provides Communication Service Providers (CSPs) and fiber infrastructure owners with situational awareness, allowing them to monitor their networks and other infrastructure in real-time, enhance physical security, and develop new revenue streams through sensing-as-a-service offerings.
Read reportProof in the field
Case studies.
Terrestrial Fiber
Stopping a fiber strike outside a regional hub
Placeholder: how distributed sensing flagged an excavator 90 m from the cable and gave the operator time to intervene. Swap in a real deployment story.
Full story coming soonSubsea Fiber
Tracking anchor drag along a subsea landing
Placeholder: detecting vessel anchor activity near a landing station and correlating it with the exact cable position. Swap in a real deployment story.
Full story coming soonMunicipal Water
Catching third-party intrusion on a water main
Placeholder: locating unauthorized digging over a municipal water corridor before service was interrupted. Swap in a real deployment story.
Full story coming soon