Optical & Fixed Networks

Sparkle taps ASN, Elettra for cable connecting ME and Balkans to Milan

Sparkle taps ASN, Elettra for cable connecting ME and Balkans to Europe

Sparkle revealed on Wednesday it has signed deals with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) and Elettra to build its planned GreenMed subsea cable connecting the Middle East and the Balkans to Italy via the Adriatic Sea.

ASN will be responsible for system design and manufacturing of GreenMed’s subsea optical infrastructure including wet plant components and associated equipment, while Elettra will execute marine operations including the route survey and the cable installation and laying activities. No financial details were disclosed.

The GreenMed system – which Sparkle first announced in December 2023 – is envisioned as a high-performance corridor across the Central–Eastern Mediterranean, providing diverse optical fibre connectivity between Levant countries along the Mediterranean Sea and Milan, with Crete, Sicily and Balkan countries listed as key stops along the route.

Sparkle didn’t offer specifics on capacity or landing points, but did say GreenMed would adopt an “open architecture” approach, which offers each fibre-pair tenant the possibility to select its preferred optical illumination architecture and vendor, consistent with system design and operational requirements.

Sparkle said GreenMed will enhance route diversity, resilience and low-latency connectivity between Europe and the Middle East to serve growing traffic demand driven by cloud adoption, content delivery, enterprise digitalization and emerging AI-era traffic patterns in the region.

Sparkle added that GreenMed will build on its BlueMed system, which runs from Italy to Jordan and shares fibre pairs on the Blue and Raman subsea cable systems (which Sparkle co-owns in partnership with Google and Zain Omantel International) that connect Europe with the Middle East and Mumbai.

“GreenMed represents another concrete step in Sparkle’s strategy to strengthen the Mediterranean Basin as a key digital gateway and to reinforce Italy’s role as a primary connectivity hub for international connectivity,” said Sparkle CEO Enrico Maria Bagnasco in a statement. “With GreenMed in the Adriatic and BlueMed in the Tyrrhenian, Sparkle offers two highly innovative routes between Europe and the Middle East for maximum diversification and resilience.”

Sparkle said the contracts with ASN and Elettra will be in force by end of this month, with the first segments of the system expected to be in service by late 2028.



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