Sparkle Activates BlueMed Submarine Cable Linking Palermo With Genoa to Milan
By Srikapardhi, TelecomTalk
September 8, 2023
Sparkle, Italy's first international service provider and a global operator, announced on Thursday the activation of commercial service in the first section of the BlueMed submarine cable system. This cable connects Palermo with Genoa and further extends to Milan, providing a range of benefits for operators, internet service providers (ISPs), enterprises, and institutions.
Increased Capacity
BlueMed cable users will have access to high-capacity connections, with options at multiples of 100 or 400 gigabits per second (Gbps). This represents a significant increase in data transfer capabilities.
Reduced Latency
Sparkle highlighted that, compared to existing terrestrial cables connecting Sicily with Milan, the BlueMed submarine cable offers a 50 percent reduction in latency. This means faster data transfer and reduced delays in communication.
Extensive Coverage
Sparkle's new cable, BlueMed, will connect Italy with France, Greece, and several countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, all the way to Aqaba in Jordan. The cable is a part of the Blue and Raman Submarine Cable Systems, which is built in partnership with Google and other operators and will ultimately extend to Mumbai, India.
Sparkle said BlueMed enhances network resilience by providing a secure and diverse route between Sicily and Milan. This complements existing terrestrial backbones and offers a more robust network infrastructure.
High Throughput
Each fibre pair in the BlueMed cable is equipped with a transmission platform capable of a throughput of 30 Terabits per second (Tbps). Sparkle highlighted that this capacity is currently the highest submarine backbone capacity per fibre pair in service in the Mediterranean region.
Network Integration
Sparkle said it has also fully integrated BlueMed with its existing network, making it a seamless part of its infrastructure. This integration ensures reliable connectivity and performance.
Sicily Hub
The Sicily Hub neutral data centre in Palermo, which is already connected to eighteen international cables, now benefits from this new route to continental Europe. This is advantageous for service providers in Africa and the Middle East, as well as content providers exchanging traffic and digital applications on the island.
