Genova, Europe's new digital gateway

Genoa is establishing itself as a strategic hub for digital connectivity in the Mediterranean, thanks to the development of new technological infrastructures that strengthen the Ligurian capital's role on the international scene. Currently, over a thousand kilometers of fiber optics connect Genoa to Sicily through Unitirreno's latest-generation network, helping to create an efficient and widespread system that consolidates the city as a privileged Italian port of call for data flows between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans.

A decisive contribution comes from Sparkle's BlueMed project - a company sold for 700 million euros by TIM to Retelit and the Ministry of Economy – which began in 2023 and connects Genoa with France, Greece and Israel, as well as various branches in the Mediterranean. The agreement between Sparkle and Valencia Digital Port Connect for the construction of the Barracuda submarine cable, a 1,070-kilometer-long infrastructure that will connect Valencia and Genoa, strengthening the technological axis between Genoa and Spain, also fits into this context.

Italy is also participating in the Medusa project, the approximately 8,700-kilometer mega-dorsal that will connect southern Europe to North Africa, then extend towards sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Meanwhile, Sparkle announced the construction of the GreenMed submarine cable system, which will cross the Adriatic, touching strategic gateways in Crete and Sicily, helping to further expand the network of connections between Europe and the Middle East.

The combination of these interventions confirms Genoa's growing centrality in the international telecommunications system. The city is thus preparing to compete with major European hubs, positioning itself as a strategic digital hub for the economic and technological development of the entire Mediterranean.

Edited by Anxhela Tota