From cables to AI: how Sparkle is powering internet expansion

As of July 2024, 5.45 billion people – 67 per cent of the global population – are now online. Already a ‘supermajority’, this number is projected to increase to 7.9 billion, or 95 per cent of the population – by 2029.

The number of hours spent online is also skyrocketing, with the average user now spending 6 hours and 35 minutes online daily (Data Reportal). This is led by smartphone and social media use as well as increased broadband access, including 4G, 5G, and fibre at home, with more and more connected TV devices and gaming consoles on the global market.

To keep up with this unprecedented rate of growth, the global telecommunications industry is having to adapt and grow, with new infrastructure projects and advanced technologies leading the curve.

We spoke to Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle, at Capacity Europe 2024 to learn about sector plans and Sparkle’s own strategy for growth, including integrating AI on existing services and developing new high-speed infrastructure and alternative routes, in line with global traffic projections and security priorities.

About Sparkle

Sparkle, part of Italy’s TIM Group, is a global communications service provider playing a pivotal role in Europe’s digital landscape by delivering high-performance infrastructure and services for various sectors. Its extensive backbone network spans multiple continents, providing secure, scalable communication solutions for enterprise, mobile communications and voice services. 

With a focus on sustainability, Sparkle provides platforms that integrate infrastructure with security and data services, aligning with the EU’s goals for sovereignty in the digital age. The company helps bridge Europe’s connectivity gaps while supporting local businesses in their digital transformation efforts.

For more details, visit Sparkle’s website.

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Undersea cables essential to meet global demand

Submarine cables play a critical role in transporting the data required to meet this rise in global internet traffic. “Submarine cables are one of the key enablers of our everyday digital life, transporting 98 per cent of internet traffic worldwide,” Bagnasco explains. “Without submarine cables, there would be no digital life. That is how essential they are.”

“Businesses and public administration are migrating toward cloud services which calls for more traffic,” Bagnasco adds. “We are doubling the volume of traffic carried on our networks every three years and this is projected to continue.”

While not all routes will benefit from the same growth rates, Bagnasco points to double-digit growth along key routes like Europe to the Far East and North to South America over the next three years.

Sparkle’s plans for exponential growth

Sparkle’s clear action plan for the coming years prioritises capacity-building technology projects alongside selected infrastructure projects to expand Sparkle’s cable networks and ensure network resilience and continuous service.

Sparkle’s new submarine cable system projects launched to date:

•     BlueMed is a new cable connecting Italy, France, Greece and several countries bordering the Mediterranean. Named Project of the Year at the 2024 Global Connectivity Awards, BlueMed was cited as “the most ingenious, visionary and demonstrably impactful digital infrastructure” for its diversification, scalability and latency between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
• BlueMed is part of the Blue & Raman Submarine Cable Systems, built in partnership with Google and other operators and that stretch further in the Middle East up to Mumbai, India.
• Manta, built in partnership with Liberty Networks and Gold Data, will connect Mexico, Panama, Colombia, and the USA ensuring a new, low-latency route between Central and North America with South America.
• GreenMed, connecting Italy with the Balkans and the Central-Eastern Mediterranean countries

Ensuring network security

As well as improving network resilience through diversification, Sparkle leads an innovative approach to network security, covering both near and far threats.

The first security area covers traditional cyber security protocols to protect the network perimeter and services against threats such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks. The second, more recent security development is in quantum security, with a product launched this year protecting communications against the potential risks associated with the advent of quantum computing.

With many end customers in government, healthcare and financial sectors, protecting against future quantum technologies and threats is essential to Sparkle’s strategy, enabled by advancements in quantum-safe algorithms and VPN security. 

As these developments are software-based – such as cloud-native SASE (secure access service edge) architecture – they can also be upgraded over time to encompass new and emerging threats.

The final security element Sparkle defines is one of physical security. This angle enables the monitoring and protection of cables across the network in collaboration with national security teams, such as the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean.

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AI in network management

Launching an internal system for AI adoption almost two years ago, Sparkle has already successfully implemented various AI and data-driven advanced technologies, putting the company in a strong position to build on these developments.

As an enterprise service provider as well as a network operator, Sparkle uses its expertise in network management to support around 400 enterprises, 1,100 telcos, OTT providers and ISPs, in their digital transformation strategies – including AI integration.

With a bottom-up approach, Sparkle allows its employees to propose AI use cases to create user-centric services. This is already proving successful in the Operations department, with increasing company-wide interest in leveraging AI thanks to beneficial results.

General advancements include automating tasks related to network management, SLA management and customer experience. Bagnasco explains that success is measured by multiple indicators, including hours of work transferred from humans to machines.

Through automation, Bagnasco says, the company has successfully freed up human talent “leaving the nitty gritty of data collection and preparation of reports and data analysis to the AI systems”.

AI Adoption and Future Plans

A good level of data availability combined with its bottom-up approach allows Sparkle to provide a better service for its internal staff as well as its global customers.

“Without data, there is no AI that has any meaning.” Bagnasco asserts. “We have a good advantage at Sparkle having a very sound, certified and complete database of real-time data, business data, technical data, network and inventory data.” With this database and advanced data management systems, Sparkle is set to spur industry growth, leveraging its extensive network, knowledge and strategic traffic to remain central to the industry. 

When asked about Sparkle’s future outlook, Bagnasco expresses excitement about the completion of the BlueRaman submarine cable, a cutting-edge intercontinental infrastructure connecting Europe to India, in the next 12 months.

“The network and the plans we have, the regions and the traffic we intercept are all relevant parts of the business. We are a 103-year-old company, and we are now planning for the next 103 years.”