Amsterdam set to plug into high-speed fibre broadband

Expansion of broadband services is continuing apace both in the UK and across Europe, but Amsterdam is set to go one better by introducing fibre optic connections.

The European Commission (EC) has approved the investment in a new fibre telecoms network by the Dutch municipality, which will see the super-fast data lines linking up some 37 million homes, providing them with more reliable and faster access to web services such as VoIP.

Amsterdam's governing body has invested in the scheme itself and the commission had been studying the legality of this involvement before giving the green light to the project.

Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, said the involvement of the government was acceptable as the EC investigation "found that the municipality of Amsterdam invests on market terms and that several private parties make significant investments in the project".

The decision by the Dutch town to push ahead with a 'fibre-to-the-home' broadband solution comes at a time when the future of broadband services in the UK is a topic of much discussion.

Government and industry leaders recently convened a meeting to look at the possibility of rolling out a similar fibre system across Britain, although no final decision has been reached as yet.

Posted on: 2007-12-13, in: Broadband

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