According to this article, which first appeared in Bangkok Post, even though Europe is lagging in total FTTH deployments, it is a leader in deployment of "open" public-private business models for new FTTH rollouts.

He used the example of Free in France, which is spending around 1 billion euros (US$1.3 billion) until 2012 to cover 4 million households. In this case the authorities allowed Free to use the city sewers as a way to cost-effectively lay the fiber infrastructure, which will then be open for other network operators to use.