The Strategic Importance of Submarine Cables for Italy's Digital Sovereignty

In an interview with Limes, the Italian geopolitics magazine, Daniele Mancuso, Chief Marketing & Product Management at Sparkle and CEO of Sparkle Greece, looks into submarine infrastructure, a critical asset for the security and national sovereignty of states, offering an essential technical and geopolitical overview of the dynamics shaping the independence and security of telecommunications in the Mediterranean. The interview also examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the growth of network capacity, and how the development of maritime infrastructure increasingly demands greater decision-making flexibility and speed in resource allocation.

From the vulnerability of maritime routes to the risks of sabotage and international tensions, the technological solutions for protecting data flows, the central role played by national hubs such as Genoa and Milan, Daniele underlines how Sparkle's industrial diversification also aims to shift the centre of gravity of Mediterranean connectivity towards Italy - also thanks to the Blue Raman system - alongside Marseille.

A specific focus in the Mediterranean is dedicated to the Adriatic corridor - an area marked by significant engineering complexities and international disputes - where Sparkle is laying the new GreenMed cable.

On the front of telecommunications diplomacy, the interview highlights the agreement and interdependence between Italy, Greece and Turkey. Through its MedNautilus network, Sparkle integrates the Anatolian peninsula into the Mediterranean ecosystem, connecting it to major commercial backbones such as BlueMed (the Mediterranean section of Blue Raman) and GreenMed.

On the geopolitical chessboard, the interview underscores Sparkle's role and neutrality, its ability to act as a reliable institutional and commercial partner among different actors such as Israel, Egypt, Oman, Cyprus and Syria, ensuring the continuity of data flows above regional tensions.

Read the full interview on Limes (in Italian)