Sparkle, the first international service provider in Italy and among the top global operators, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) for a research project aimed at using submarine fibre optic cables to detect seismic events and other natural phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea. The agreement was signed by Carlo Doglioni, Chairman of INGV, and Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle.
Using fibre sensing techniques, it is possible to detect the mechanical vibrations induced on the optical fibres of submarine cables by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and anomalous waves in real time and in a difficult-to-access environment such as the seabed.
The MoU seals a collaboration that has already been underway for over two years between the TIM Group, Sparkle and INGV. Preliminary results of the conducted experiments were presented at the international conference ‘Fibre Optic Sensing in Geosciences’ held on 16-20 June in Catania. With today’s agreement, Sparkle and INGV undertake to continue exploring, experimenting and subsequently developing the accessory use of submarine fibre optic cables as sensors for scientific and civil protection purposes - in particular for the identification and warning of tsunamis and earthquakes - and geophysical monitoring of the seabed.
Activities to date have employed Sparkle’s ‘Mednautilus’ cable system, which stretches from Sicily along the eastern Mediterranean for a total length of 11,000 km over a seabed depth of up to 4,000 m. Thanks to its ring-shaped configuration, Mednautilus will in future also offer the possibility of mapping submarine movements in several points of the basin and locate the epicentre of marine earthquakes more precisely.
The first tests measured changes in the state of polarisation (SOP) of coherent optical signals travelling on the optical fibres of the cable and carrying digital traffic. The new experiments will use signal phase and SOP data specific to the cable sections between the repeaters of a submarine cable; this will make it possible to identify the parts of the cable affected by the mechanical disturbance and investigate its propagation.
“As a research organisation in charge of real-time seismic and volcanic surveillance of the national territory, INGV has always paid special attention to technological innovation for the advancement of scientific research,” says Carlo Doglioni, Chairman of INGV. “For this reason, today we welcome the agreement with Sparkle that, with its technologies, will be able to contribute to implement our tools for the observation and ever better understanding of natural phenomena.”
“We are proud to collaborate with such a prestigious institution as INGV and put our submarine cables at the service of research in such a valuable area of investigation for people and environment protection,” said Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle. “More than a hundred years ago as Italcable we laid the first transoceanic cable between Anzio and Buenos Aires to allow Italians to communicate with their compatriots who had emigrated to Argentina. Today we are renewing this legacy by bringing the Internet and digital services worldwide and pushing the frontiers of global telecommunications beyond pure connectivity to improve people's quality of life”.
The agreement also includes collaboration with other entities that share a focus on underwater technological innovation, first and foremost the National Underwater Dimension Pole (PNS), which is based in La Spezia, Liguria, and brings together national public and private excellence operating in the sector.
About National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) was formed by the merger of five institutes already working in the field of geophysics and volcanology: the National Institute of Geophysics (ING), the Vesuvius Observatory (OV), the International Institute of Volcanology in Catania (IIV), the Institute of Geochemistry of Fluids in Palermo (IGF) and the Institute for Research on Seismic Risk in Milan (IRRS). INGV's primary objective is to contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of the Earth System, in its different phenomenologies and solid and fluid components, and to the mitigation of associated natural hazards.
In particular, the organisation's activities can be divided into three broad categories:
- Scientific and technological research activities in the field of Geosciences, with particular regard to Seismology, Volcanology and environmental issues.
- Institutional research and service activities for Society, Public Administrations and Industry; in particular, we highlight the activities carried out under an annual agreement, as part of a 10-year Framework Agreement with the Department of Civil Protection, concerning seismic, volcanic and tidal risk, and seismic and ground deformation monitoring activities in areas where georesources are exploited, on behalf of the Ministry of Economic Development.
- Third Mission activities, including training, dissemination, technology transfer, spin-offs and patents, museum centers and public engagement.
Find out more about INGV by following its official website and its Facebook, Instagram and X profiles.
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
Rome 10 December 2024
