Telecom Italia Sparkle adds IP POP in Catania, CYTA first to connect

Telecom Italia Sparkle, the international wholesale arm of Telecom Italia, is pleased to announce that its top-tier Internet backbone Seabone latest Point of Presence is now available in Catania, Sicily. First to connect to this new IP facility is CYTA, Cyprus leading carrier.

“CYTA has been a long-term customer of Seabone and we value the new development of Catania,” said Mr. Photis Savvides, CEO of CYTA. “Here, in fact, we will continue to enjoy the highest quality of Internet connectivity through Seabone, thanks also to the added redundancy, as well as utilize the reliable backhaul capacity services that TI Sparkle offers via this relevant gateway to Europe/USA. The Catania Seabone Point of Presence is accessed via the MINERVA submarine cable subsystem which forms a direct self-healing ring between Cyprus and Italy, connecting to the rest of Europe and beyond through TI Sparkle’s networks.”

“We are proud to grow and extend our business relationship with a key regional player like CYTA.” said Mr. Francesco Armato, CEO of TI Sparkle. “Our goal is to fully satisfy the sophisticated and demanding needs of our current and future customers. To do so, we have moved the Internet’s center of gravity southward into Sicily where we host the most popular global content, making Sicily the leading IP hub of the Mediterranean basin and beyond.”

The Catania Seabone POP is located in the proximity of the new IMEWE cable landing station. IMEWE, the soon-to-be-completed new generation submarine cable system in which TIS holds ownership, will connect India to Europe touching Pakistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon.

With IMEWE in Catania, TI Sparkle’s position as a preferred landing partner in the Mediterranean region is reinforced. By adding to the popularity of Palermo’s facilities for the SMW4 cable system community, as well as those of Mazara for SMW3, TI Sparkle is able to offer its customers an unrivalled multiple landing option that translates into top level resiliency and redundancy capabilities, and is therefore able to provide best support to their business - critical objectives.