Google named in suspected fibre 'tie-up' with Colt managed IT services

Could Google Fiber Europe expansion soon be a reality?

Google has been named as part of a ‘tie-up' with UK managed IT services firm Colt, according to a Computing source.

Colt, which specialises in infrastructure hosting, data networking, data centres and security services, also manages internet and telephony services.

Google is known to be attempting to expand its nascent Google Fiber fibre broadband business, after recently stating - following a successful trial of the service in Kansas City - that the company "expects to make money" from the business in due course.

Google Fiber currently offers a 1Gbps fibre service for $120 (£79) a month, and also includes a television service.

Colt, meanwhile, credits itself as one of Europe's "few telecommunications companies" that has built a telecoms network with a fully self-owned fibre and DSL infrastructure.

Founded in 1992, Colt now operates services to large enterprise, SMB and wholesale carriers in 22 European countries. It focuses its telecoms business typically on midsize companies of 30 to 1,000 employees.

Also notable is a blog post by Colt's enterprise marketing director, Scott Allen, on 18 April 2013, in which Allen challenges Google's European "tech-savvy eTowns" awards list, as well as reminding Google about a "murmur of general unhappiness" about the state of rural broadband in the UK, while pointing out ongoing European Commission budget cuts for rollouts.

Does Colt have the kind of European expertise Google is seeking if it hopes to move Google Fiber to the continent? Or does Google simply seek to utilise some of the company's infrastructure resources?

Computing has approached Colt for a statement, and been told the company is unable to comment on matters surrounding Google Fiber until the end of June 2013.

Google has so far also declined to comment.