Sparkle, Italy’s first international service provider and a leading global operator, has successfully landed the BlueMed submarine cable in Chania, Greece. The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Italian Ambassador’s Residence in Athens, attended by key figures including Paolo Cuculi, the Italian Ambassador, and Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece’s Minister of Digital Governance. The event highlighted the strategic significance of the cable, which aims to enhance digital connectivity between Italy, France, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries.
The BlueMed cable is part of the broader Blue & Raman Submarine Cable Systems, a project developed in collaboration with Google and other operators. This system extends connectivity from Italy through the Mediterranean and further into the Middle East, reaching Mumbai, India. Equipped with four fiber pairs and an initial design capacity exceeding 25 Terabits per second (Tbps) per pair, BlueMed is set to provide high-speed internet connections and advanced solutions for ISPs, carriers, telecom operators, and content providers, catering to the rising digital demands in these regions.
The installation of BlueMed began in 2023 with the primary Tyrrhenian trunk linking Genoa and Palermo, with additional branches to Marseille, Bastia, Golfo Aranci, and Pomezia. From Palermo, the cable has traversed the Strait of Messina to Crete, with plans for further expansion in the Mediterranean towards Aqaba in Jordan. Currently, the Tyrrhenian and Middle Eastern segments are operational, with the entire route from Genoa to Aqaba expected to be fully functional by the end of this year. Sparkle is also enhancing its data center in Chania to support this infrastructure and future projects like GreenMed, aiming to improve connectivity between Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Key Points:
- Sparkle landed the BlueMed submarine cable in Chania, Greece.
- BlueMed connects Italy with France, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries, extending to the Middle East and India.
- The cable has four fiber pairs with over 25 Tbps capacity per pair.
- The project is a part of the Blue & Raman Submarine Cable Systems, in partnership with Google.
- Future expansions include further Mediterranean landings and the GreenMed project connecting Italy to the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean.
