Sparkle CEO Enrico Maria Bagnasco Meets Genoa Mayor Silvia Salis
The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss technological development, innovation and training, consolidating Genoa's role as the digital capital of the Mediterranean
This morning, Sparkle CEO Enrico Maria Bagnasco met with Genoa Mayor Silvia Salis at Palazzo Tursi to discuss the company's digital initiatives and the city's strategic role as an international communications hub.
During the meeting, Bagnasco highlighted the strong ties between Sparkle and Genoa - a city chosen as a landing point for digital infrastructure of global significance. With the development, from the early 2020s onwards, of the Genoa Landing Platform and the BlueMed submarine cable, Genoa has consolidated its role as a digital port of the Mediterranean, providing direct access to major European Internet exchange points and new opportunities for businesses, startups and research centres.
BlueMed connects Italy to France, Greece, Israel and Jordan, with branches throughout the Mediterranean. Cable laying began in 2023, touching Genoa, Marseille, Golfo Aranci, Pomezia, Palermo, Chania, Tel Aviv and Aqaba, and remains open to further extensions. Supported by European Union funding and complemented by the Blue & Raman Submarine Cable Systems - developed in partnership with Google and other operators - BlueMed is now fully operational, featuring four fibre pairs with an initial capacity of over 25 Terabits per second per pair, strengthening connectivity between Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
The Genoa Landing Platform offers an open, neutral and scalable landing facility, helping to make the city more attractive for technology investment and digital innovation. Its multi-conduit ("Bore Pipe") infrastructure provides a turnkey landing solution for submarine cables seeking access on the western European coast, avoiding the costs, timelines and administrative complexity associated with building proprietary infrastructure - and above all reducing the impact on the city and the marine environment. By reaching the Genoa Digital Hub data centre in Lagaccio, submarine cables also gain access to other national and European networks, as well as Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) such as Ge-DIX, already present in the facility.
In addition to BlueMed and BlueRaman, Sparkle's infrastructure already hosts the Unitirreno cable, connecting Genoa to Mazara del Vallo, and will soon accommodate Barracuda, linking Genoa to Valencia, with capacity to provide landing for up to four additional submarine cables.
The meeting also highlighted Sparkle's commitment to training and the development of specialist expertise. Through an agreement with the University of Genoa and the SubOptic Foundation, the world’s first post-graduate course in fibre optic submarine cables is currently being established - a unique international course integrating academic teaching with industry know-how. The programme aims to strengthen Liguria's digital ecosystem, enhance the infrastructure already present in the city, and train the talent of tomorrow for a fast-growing sector.
"Today's meeting was an opportunity to look back on Sparkle's commitment to Genoa, which has turned the city into a strategic node in the development of international digital routes," said Enrico Maria Bagnasco. "With infrastructure such as the Genoa Landing Platform and the BlueMed system, we have been pioneers in establishing the city's role as a Mediterranean hub and digital port for data traffic between Europe and the key growth areas of the digital economy, generating concrete benefits for the local area and its ecosystem."