Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) thinks it would like to replicate the community Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network idea it's implementing in Kansas City in a European country.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, David Drummond, Google's senior VP, said during a recent meeting of the French Industry Ministry that the Internet search giant is "looking very closely" at developing a fiber initiative Europe.
However, Drummond gave little details about where or when any project would take place.
News of Google's Continental ambitions comes at a time when the European Commission has launched a new plan to help finance new broadband networks built by both incumbent carriers and emerging competitive carriers like local electric utilities.
That's not to say that Europe isn't big on fiber-based broadband already.
Led by aggressive European countries such as Russia, a recent IDATE report revealed that FTTH networks pass about 33 million European homes, and the networks continued to grow at a rate of 21 percent throughout 2010. In addition to Russia, eight other countries, including Sweden, Italy, France, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Turkey are making progress with their respective FTTH networks.
Similar to its efforts to launch FTTH networks in the U.S., any move that Google will make in Europe is all about getting the attention of existing service providers and regulators.
For more:
- The Wall Street Journal has this article (sub. req.)
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