The Spatial Distribution of Internet Backbone Networks in Europe: A Metropolitan Knowledge Economy Perspective

Abstract: This article attempts to explain the factors which determine the spatial distribution of the Internet backbone networks in Europe. These networks facilitate the modern economy by interconnecting cities, enabling communication and exchange and, consequently, enhancing the interaction between them. This infrastructural capital for the knowledge economy is far from evenly spread across Europe. The article uses principal components analysis and regression models to examine the influence of a range of socio-economic variables on the spatial distribution of the Internet backbones in Europe, and concludes that they largely follow existing patterns of development, urban concentrations of knowledge, nodes of transport provision and patterns of high accessibility.