Go and Melita announce cable links

Go's second submarine cable project linking Malta to Sicily via an independent route is "on track" as per plans and is scheduled to be up and running by the end of this year. At the same time Melita launched a project to lay a state-of-the-art submarine fibre optic cable to mainland Europe.

Go chief executive officer David Kay said the necessary permits for the projects were approved recently and this effectively means that the laying of the cable - which will be connected to one of the world's major broadband backbones operated by Interoute - can start within a few weeks time.

Go's multi-million euro investment in a second submarine cable linking Malta to Italy will connect to Interoute's pan-European network which connects 85 cities in 22 countries across 54,000 cable kilometres of fibre.

During Melita's launch, which featured a tour aboard the survey ship Fugro Gauss, the company's chief operations officer Stephen Wright said the cable was the next phase of Malta's broadband communications development. A €10 million investment, the all-optic cable is expected to be operational within 12 months and will run between Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and Pozzallo, Sicily.

He explained how the 100-kilometre long unbroken, unrepeatered cable will be designed and custom built according to the geographical layout of the seabed. Armoured for additional protection, the cable will provide "increase capacity for international connectivity, improved redundancy and reliability, a superior performance and enhanced quality of service".

"Melita's state-of-the-art submarine fibre optic cable will contribute towards achieving the government's aim of ensuring adequate international connectivity," he said.