Barracuda Subsea Cable to Land at Sparkle's Genoa Platform, Enhancing European Digital Links
February 2, 2026
A major new subsea cable project is set to bolster digital infrastructure in the Mediterranean, addressing the surging demand for high-capacity, low-latency connectivity between Southern Europe's key economic hubs. The owners of the upcoming Barracuda cable system have finalized a crucial landing agreement in Italy, marking a significant step forward for the project. Sparkle, the international services arm of Telecom Italia, and Valencia Digital Port Connect (VDPC) have announced an agreement to land the Barracuda submarine cable at Sparkle’s Genoa Landing Platform in the Lagaccio district. The 1,070-kilometer cable will directly link Genoa, Italy, to Valencia, Spain, and is engineered to provide substantial capacity with its 12 fiber pairs, each capable of transmitting 32 terabits per second (Tbps). The system is scheduled to enter service in 2028. The project, which received a €100 million investment from Teset Capital in 2025, represents a strategic pivot from its original 2022 plan as part of the Medusa cable system. The new route solidifies a direct Italy-Spain link. Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, stated, "This agreement represents an important step in our strategy to position Genoa as a key gateway to Europe. The landing of Barracuda will strengthen and expand the city’s digital ecosystem." On the Spanish side, the cable will land at the upcoming VDPC landing station in Sagunto, outside Valencia. Enrique Martín, CEO of VDPC, noted the agreement "confirms that we are advancing in line with our strategic roadmap" and reinforces the ambition for a 2028 operational date. As part of the deal, Sparkle will acquire infrastructure assets on the cable segment between Valencia and Genoa and colocation space in the Valencia landing station. The Barracuda cable will become one of three direct submarine links between Italy and Spain, joining Medloop and a segment of the massive 2Africa cable, both of which also land in Genoa. This latest addition further cements Genoa's status as a critical Mediterranean connectivity hub, now hosting or set to host six international subsea systems. The development is expected to enhance network resilience, provide new routing options for cloud and content providers, and stimulate the local digital economies in both regions by facilitating greater data exchange and supporting next-generation technologies.
Source: datacenterdynamics
