IP: Europe's Internet Lag: An American Fabrication?

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/09/cyber/eurobytes/14eurobytes.html

Europe's Internet Lag: An American Fabrication?


ENEVA -- Attend a conference or read an article about the Internet in Europe, and there will almost certainly be a 
reference to estimates that Europe is two or three years behind the United States when it comes to doing business 
online. 

Recently a magazine in the United States put the figure at five years -- placing Europe in a time when Amazon.com was 
still just an idea in Jeff Bezos's head. 
But Internet executives in Europe say the size of the gap has been exaggerated. And some blame the perception problem 
on American Internet companies that have made missteps in the European market. 
"It's an urban legend," said Laurent Edel, the founder of the Net Economy Workshop, which pairs technology start-ups 
with investors. "Look beyond Internet penetration rates, which are kept artificially low by telecommunication costs, 
and you will realize that European companies are less far behind than the press reports. The market is heating up at 
incredible speed."