Sparkle, the leading operator of international wholesale services in Italy and among the top ten in the world, announces a long-term investment for the creation of BlueMed, multifiber submarine cable which will connect Palermo with Genoa up to Milan.
The new cable, scheduled for operation in 2020, will cross the Tyrrhenian Sea connecting Sparkle's Sicily Hub in Palermo - a neutral data center connected with eighteen international cables - with the new neutral landing station in Genoa, directly connected to the rich digital ecosystem of Milan. BlueMed will also include several branches in the Tyrrhenian Sea and is designed to support further extensions south of Sicily.
With a capacity of up to 240 Tbps and approximately 1.000 km long, BlueMed it will provide advanced connectivity between the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the European continental hubs with 50% reduced latency compared to terrestrial cables connecting Sicily with Milan.
Furthermore, the new Genoa landing station aims to become a preferred route for future submarine cables looking for a diversified access on the western European coast, reinforcing Italy's role as a digital gateway between Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
Mario Di Mauro, Chief Executive Officer of Sparkle, comments: “The investment for the construction of BlueMed and the landing station in Genoa represents the first phase of a broader plan aimed at consolidating Sparkle's leadership in the Mediterranean basin through the extension and strengthening of its regional backbone”.
