ie8 fix

Google looking to build European high-speed fiber network

By | October 24, 2011, 4:45pm PDT

Summary: After an experimental trial in the U.S., a Google executive hinted that Europe could be the next home for a high-speed fiber network.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google senior vice president David Drummond said on Friday that the search giant is considering deploying a high-speed fiber network to Europe, in a bid to widen high-speed Internet access across the continent.

In a meeting at the French Industry Ministry, Drummond said that the company is “looking very closely” at branching out the fiber-network to Europe, but failed to disclose any further details.


(Image source: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images)

Google’s offer may come at a time when Europe is mostly ahead in the world rankings of broadband speed, but still lags behind a developing 4G network in the United States, and already-established fiber networks and high-speed connectivity in East Asia.

As GigaOm reports, the Netherlands and parts of Scandinavia already deploy fiber to home communities, but has restriction-laden ISPs that filter content on the behalf of copyright holders.

The European Commission wants to broaden out broadband connections throughout the 27 member states, with at least 30Mbps made available to at least 500 million European citizens by 2020. Having said that, the logistics behind it would be difficult, at least without a private sector organisation investing money and resources into fulfilling the European Commission’s aim.

But picking a country or section of Europe’s busy continent will be difficult for Google, as over 1,100 cities petitioned Google when the company announced it would build an experimental network in the United States.

As the United Kingdom has one of the stronger economies, despite the increasing inflation costs amid the outcome of the recession, the UK’s broadband speeds combined with its economical output factors would make the country a logical one. However, depending on the spread of the presumably non-experimental European network, it could be rolled out over mainland Europe to localise fiber connectivity across multiple countries at a lower cost.

Google’s European fiber dreams will be some years away yet, however. It took over two years to reach the point it is currently at in Kansas City, yet still remains a small off-shoot project for the search giant.

Related:

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Topics

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit. Details of which are restricted, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from the Huffington Post, Business Insider, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

Related Discussions on TechRepublic

Did you know you can take part in these discussions with your ZDNet membership?
3
Comments

Join the conversation!

Just In

RE: Google looking to build European high-speed fiber network
BigAlPlayer Updated - 25th Oct
I don't know..fibre is cool but Microsoft with that white spaces tv over wifi spectrum thing they are testing, I guess fibre will be ablsloute by then. Just guessing!
here is a link about it
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/wifi-tv-signals-microsoft-testing-white-spaces-uk
Test it here then give it to someone else.
Gee thanx for nothin'.
Poor Google. So much desire to own everything....
0 Votes
+ -
I don't know..fibre is cool but Microsoft with that white spaces tv over wifi spectrum thing they are testing, I guess fibre will be ablsloute by then. Just guessing!
here is a link about it
http://www.geekwire.com/2011/wifi-tv-signals-microsoft-testing-white-spaces-uk

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources
ie8 fix