Announced during the MWC 2025 in Barcelona, the MoU envisages a strategic collaboration for international Internet traffic in the Mediterranean region
Barcelona/Istanbul/Rome, 6 March 2025
Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, and Turkcell (NYSE:TKC) (BIST:TCELL), Türkiye’s leading communications and technology company, announced during the MWC 2025 event in Barcelona the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a subsea cable solution in the Mediterranean.
This exclusive collaboration leverages the strengths of both companies to deliver uninterrupted, high-quality internet services, reinforcing their strategic positions and improving connectivity in the region. The MoU focuses on building a 4,000 km diversified route linking Türkiye with the European telecommunications ecosystem through the construction of a state-of-the-art subsea cable between Izmir and Chania, capable of carrying more than 25 Tbps per fiber pair and leveraging Sparkle’s BlueMed Cable System to further extend between Chania and major Points of Presence in Milan.
Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, commented: “We are very pleased with this agreement with Turkcell which confirms Sparkle’s commitment to strengthen connectivity in the Mediterranean basin. Thanks to a unique low-latency path between Izmir and Chania, integrated with BlueMed, we create a new alternative digital corridor for communications between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This collaboration is also part of the development of our GreenMed project which will further stimulate digital acceleration throughout the region and beyond.”
Dr. Ali Taha Koç, CEO of Turkcell, emphasizing that this important project will be completed and operational within a few years, stated: “This subsea cable solution, with its impressive capacity between Izmir and Chania and a total distance of 4,000 km, offers a promising alternative route to the existing ones, enhancing geographical redundancy and ensuring that the international data connection remains uninterrupted even in the event of disruptions along traditional paths. This project not only strengthens the resilience of global data infrastructure but also provides a robust option for hyperscalers and content providers seeking reliable and secure connectivity between the East and the West. In a world where the demand for seamless, high-capacity internet connectivity is ever-growing, this project plays a crucial role in reinforcing the stability of international communications.”
About Sparkle
Sparkle is TIM Group’s Global Operator, first international service provider in Italy and among the top worldwide, offering a full range of infrastructure and global connectivity services – capacity, IP, SD-WAN, colocation, IoT connectivity, roaming and voice – to national and international Carriers, OTTs, ISPs, Media/Content Providers, and multinational enterprises. A major player in the submarine cable industry, Sparkle owns and manages a network of more than 600,000 km of fiber spanning from Europe to Africa and the Middle East, the Americas and Asia. Its sales force is active worldwide and distributed over 33 countries.
Find out more about Sparkle following its X and LinkedIn profiles or visiting the website tisparkle.com
About Turkcell
Turkcell is a technology and telecommunications company headquartered in Türkiye, offering a unique portfolio of voice, data and IPTV services over its mobile and fixed networks along with digital consumer, enterprise and techfin services. Turkcell Group operates in three countries: Türkiye, Belarus and Northern Cyprus. Listed on both the NYSE and BIST since July 2000, Turkcell remains the only dual-listed company on these exchanges. Read more at www.turkcell.com.tr
Sparkle Media Contacts
sparkle.communication@tisparkle.com
X: @TISparkle
Turkcell Media Contacts
Burak Mergen burak.mergen@turkcell.com.tr
Serdar Ceşen serdar.cesen@turkcell.com.tr
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