The Italian Senate is currently examining a draft bill designed to enhance the protection and governance of submarine cable infrastructure, a vital component of global internet connectivity. Speaking before a parliamentary hearing on the proposed legislation, Sparkle CEO, Enrico Bagnasco, voiced his support for the initiative, describing it as a critical step in safeguarding Italy’s strategic role in global digital networks.
He urged for better coordination between civilian, military, and international authorities, alongside streamlined authorization processes, to address growing challenges in maintaining and securing undersea cable systems.
While the final provisions of the legislation are still under debate, the draft aims to simplify permitting procedures, improve collaboration among government agencies, and strengthen the protection of cables within Italian waters. This comes as the Mediterranean region remains a key conduit for a significant portion of the world’s internet traffic.
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Bagnasco highlighted the increasing operational complexities faced by operators like Sparkle, a TIM subsidiary with a vast international network spanning Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. He cited ongoing projects such as the Blue-Raman cable, which links Milan and Genoa to Mumbai via the Red Sea, as examples of the bureaucratic and logistical obstacles posed by fragmented permitting processes, especially near cable landing points.
Bagnasco told lawmakers that delays in obtaining permits for cable laying and landings were becoming a serious hurdle and he advocated for a harmonized, efficient system to prevent unnecessary setbacks in critical infrastructure projects.
He also flagged concerns over a 40-meter depth restriction mentioned in the draft, cautioning that such a threshold could have unintended consequences depending on local seabed conditions. Bagnasco called for clearer definitions and a more comprehensive approach to managing submarine infrastructure beyond shallow waters.
Emphasizing the global, interconnected nature of undersea cable systems, which carry more than 98% of international internet traffic, Bagnasco called for closer cross-border cooperation and EU-level initiatives. He noted Sparkle’s collaboration with the Italian Navy, formalized through a 2023 agreement enabling real-time subsea activity monitoring, as a model for public-private partnerships.
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The proposed Italian legislation mirrors wider European Union (EU) efforts to protect critical infrastructure, with the EU actively working on strategies to guard submarine cables against physical and cyber threats through coordinated action plans.
Bagnasco also underlined the importance of route diversity as a resilience measure, pointing to Sparkle’s choice to lay the Blue-Raman cable through the Strait of Messina, bypassing the busier Sicily Channel, to improve network redundancy.
Concluding his remarks, Bagnasco called for mechanisms to encourage investment in emerging technologies that enhance the security and reliability of submarine networks, noting that while these innovations may lack immediate commercial payoffs, they are essential for long-term infrastructure resilience.
The Senate continues to assess the bill’s provisions as part of broader national efforts to reinforce Italy’s digital infrastructure and global connectivity leadership.
