Sparkle launches Albania Crossing route

Today, TIM’s international communications platform Sparkle has announced the launch of its latest optical fibre link, the Albania Crossing route. 

 

Built in partnership with Albania Telecom, the route spans the Italian fibre backbone, travels 240km beneath the waves of the Adriatic Sea from Bari, Italy, to Durrës, Albania, and finally across Albania itself to Athens in Greece.

 

The Crossing notably represents the shortest possible route between Athens and Milan, offering a major improvement in latency over traditional terrestrial data transport lines. These two locations are proving key hubs for international data traffic, with Milan serving as a focal point for mainland European traffic, while Athens represents a natural gateway for traffic travelling between Europe and the Middle East.

 

 

Sparkle notes that the route can potentially reach “all the other major hubs in Western Europe” by traveling on the rest of Sparkle’s European fibre backbone.

 

The route’s services will be offered to regional and international operators, who can purchase capacity in 100G increments. 

 

This launch expands upon Sparkle’s already considerable portfolio in the south-eastern Mediterranean, becoming the company’s sixth route in the region, including a submarine cable network that spans a distance of approximately 11,00 km linking Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Israel.