Europe

On December 8, a rare combination of network stakeholders set down together in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to do something even more unheard of: to jointly sing a tribute to open networks. Underscoring the need for open networks on the one hand and the need for a platform for dialogue for all stakeholders on the other, the Dutch have moved to launch 'BreedNed,' the national association for open networks.

10/01/2007

Real Broadband is hitting France fast with Orange France to Deploy FttH throughout France. Cisco appears to be among the first winners to take advantage of the new market arising.

18/12/2006

PacketFront today announced that it is extending its deal with VolkerWessels Telecom, a division of Dutch construction company VolkerWessels, to deploy 55,000 ports and create what the vendor claims is one of the largest and most advanced Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) networks in Europe.

13/10/2006

Following the modestly sized early initiative of broadband deployment in the Pyrenee town of Pau, France seems to be finally making headway with broadband deployment. Hauts de Seine, the department of Candidate President Sarkozy, is the hotbed for deployment in 2007. Below a brief outline while the subscription to be offered to residents as per 2007 is described in the attachment.

05/10/2006

The Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands has produced an English language guide as to what municipalities, provincial authorities and housing corporations are (not) allowed to do according to EU's strict, yet often vague, rules and regulations on competion and free market concerning local broadband deployment. The guide is available here.

24/03/2006

The Danish competition authority has recently approved the deployment of 1 million FttH connections to be conducted by the country's electricity companies. "The investigation gives no reason to think that the planned investments of the electricity’s business are not based on sensible business cases." The entire report can be downloaded here.

03/10/2005

Norway's national operator Telenor ASA  announced $1 billion worth of acquisitions this morning as it acquired the main competitive broadband players in Sweden and Denmark (see Telenor Buys B2, CyberCity). Read the entire article here

24/05/2005

The spring 2005 edition of the "Competition Newsletter" (Published three times a year by the Competition Directorate-General of the European Commission) carries an interesting article on EU State Aid Rules and Public Funding of Broadband. You can download the entire issue here.

17/05/2005

Here is a quick scan on the Top 5 largest FttH projects within the EU today, conducted by SCIN. In separating Fact from Fantasy, SCIN researched multiple media & news sources in order to get a reliable view on FttH progress and real connections deployed. Here are the results:

11/04/2005

On March 23, the Fiber to the Home network ("Ons Net" meaning "Our Net") of the small town of Nuenen, the Netherlands was officially opened. The ceremony underscored the fact that a new, cooperative model for next generation broadband deployment may provide a key for success in a market dominated by incumbents and protective regulations.

30/03/2005