Sparkle Kicks Off BlueMed Construction Site in Genoa

On Monday, Sparkle inaugurated the construction site for new cables to landing in Genoa, where BlueMed cable system and other cables will land. BlueMed is an integral part of Google's Blue & Raman Submarine Cable System project. The infrstructure and the landing of new cables will bring the Ligurian city back to the centre of the Mediterranean.

According to Sparkle, work has started on BlueMed, Sparkle's new submarine cable that will make Genoa a new data gateway to Europe.

The construction site was inaugurated in the presence of Sparkle's CEO, Elisabetta Romano, CTO Enrico Bagnasco and the Councilor for Urban Planning, Maritime State Property, Economic Development, Labour and Trade Union Relations, Mario Mascia.

BlueMed is Sparkle's new submarine cable: an integral part of the Blue & Raman Submarine Cable System project - launched by Sparkle in collaboration with Google and other operators and which will connect Italy with India, it will become the main data highway between Asia and Europe.

Through an innovative multi-ducts infrastructure called the "Bore Pipe", a further six cables - in addition to the BlueMed and BlueRaman submarine systems - will in fact be able to land in Genoa and from there continue their journey in Europe. The infrastructure will faciliate Genoa to become the preferred route in Europe for new submarine cables seeking diversified access to Marseille and thus a new hub for traffic between Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

Almost all of the Bore Pipe will be built in a submarine trench, excavated to a depth of about 1.2 metres, following a route designed to meet the design constraints dictated by the maximum bending requirements that the submarine cable can withstand, the presence in the area of the access corridor to the Port of Genoa, and the pre-existing submarine service infrastructure.

The land infrastructure has also been designed to ensure a sustainable landfall, mainly by exploiting the underground network of tunnels and galleries of approximately 6.5 km built underground in Genoa to facilitate the laying of cables effectively, efficiently and with less impact on the public. 

Finally, all cables will land in the fully-recovered Genoa Lagaccio plant, which will serve as an open landing and connectivity hub providing space and power to the Blue system and other submarine cables, as well as to terrestrial network operators.