“We’re in a position to consider paying a dividend, and we want to do something to set a trend,” Tobin said in an interview in London. He didn’t specify when a payout may occur. The company reported net income of £25.3 million last year – its first profit – as revenue surged 36%.

The need for data centers is rising across Europe as people turn to the Internet to watch videos, share photos and shop, the executive said. Demand for space worldwide climbed 14 percent last year, while supply increased 6 percent, according to an industry report by Tier1 Research. U.K. viewers watched more than 2 billion videos on Google Inc.’s YouTube in January alone, a Comscore Inc. survey found.

Telecity rose 18.25 pence, or 6.6 percent, to 294 pence in London trading, the highest since January 2008. The stock has gained 67 percent this year, giving the company a market value of 582 million pounds.

Source: Bloomberg