Attilio Somma, Chief Strategic Marketing & Business Development OfficerAn advocate of this philosophy is Sparkle, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TIM Group. To ignite new digital business on top of the existing telecommunication infrastructure, Sparkle is now shifting its focus toward the cloud, edge computing, SD-WAN connectivity, along with robust security-as-a-service modules to enhance network protection. As outlined by TIM Group’s CEO Luigi Gubitosi during the company’s strategic plan presentation, Sparkle is prepared to set its re-launch plan in motion. Through this, Sparkle is looking to expand its capability with blockchain, big data, and AI to capitalise the trend of network cloudification.
The key driver behind Sparkle’s re-launch plan is the urge to bring agility and innovation to the rapidly evolving telecommunications marketplace. In particular, with the Gigabit Society (5G, ultra broadband, AI, IoT, security, analytics) requiring sophisticated digital solutions (smart connectivity, cloud, security, convergence, big data, IoT), Sparkle is now aiming to compete at an even higher level and not just as telecommunication company but also as a security and digital services provider. “Due to the recent technological shift in the telecommunication paradigm, international carriers like Sparkle now need to rapidly evolve their value-added services proposition on top of traditional infrastructure and capacity offering and create value for customers,” says Attilio Somma, Chief Strategic Marketing and Business Development Officer at Sparkle.
Attilio Somma, who was responsible for Innovation at TIM, is passionate about the new priorities that are on the horizon and the changes that are waiting for Sparkle. “We have already set up working groups and processes to be more agile, improving time to market. And we will also be incorporating new skill sets in our workforce,” comments Attilio. Banking on these enhanced capabilities, he believes, Sparkle will not only play a crucial role in Italy but also globally. It is important to note that at present, the global footprint of Sparkle consists of 143 points of presence (PoPs) and 530,000 km of fibre that cater to carrier-to-carrier business, ISPs, over-the-top (OTT), Media & Content Players, Application Service Providers and Multinational Corporation.
Today, the company is investing in building new footprints in selected areas, particularly the Mediterranean basin, Latin America, and the Middle East. Sparkle recently announced the investment in BlueMed, a submarine multi-fibre cable linking Sicily Hub, its next generation open data center in Palermo, with Genoa’s new open landing station directly connected to Milan’s rich digital ecosystem, and in the construction of Nibble, an ultra-long-haul photonic backbone that will digitally connect Sicily with the major Points of Presence and datacenters in Europe. Attilio claims, “BlueMed is set to be fully operational by 2020 and will provide advanced connectivity in the Mediterranean and then will extend its reach to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the European mainland hubs with up to 50 per cent latency reduction than existing terrestrial cables connecting Sicily with Milan.” Also, continuing with its plan of expansion, Sparkle wants to enforce its presence in Latin America by leveraging its investment in the Seabras-1 cable system, which connects Brazil and the US. “With the re-launch of Sparkle, we are now getting ready to be the harbinger of innovation in the telecommunication sector,” concludes Attilio.
Attilio Somma, who was responsible for Innovation at TIM, is passionate about the new priorities that are on the horizon and the changes that are waiting for Sparkle. “We have already set up working groups and processes to be more agile, improving time to market. And we will also be incorporating new skill sets in our workforce,” comments Attilio. Banking on these enhanced capabilities, he believes, Sparkle will not only play a crucial role in Italy but also globally. It is important to note that at present, the global footprint of Sparkle consists of 143 points of presence (PoPs) and 530,000 km of fibre that cater to carrier-to-carrier business, ISPs, over-the-top (OTT), Media & Content Players, Application Service Providers and Multinational Corporation.
Today, the company is investing in building new footprints in selected areas, particularly the Mediterranean basin, Latin America, and the Middle East. Sparkle recently announced the investment in BlueMed, a submarine multi-fibre cable linking Sicily Hub, its next generation open data center in Palermo, with Genoa’s new open landing station directly connected to Milan’s rich digital ecosystem, and in the construction of Nibble, an ultra-long-haul photonic backbone that will digitally connect Sicily with the major Points of Presence and datacenters in Europe. Attilio claims, “BlueMed is set to be fully operational by 2020 and will provide advanced connectivity in the Mediterranean and then will extend its reach to the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the European mainland hubs with up to 50 per cent latency reduction than existing terrestrial cables connecting Sicily with Milan.” Also, continuing with its plan of expansion, Sparkle wants to enforce its presence in Latin America by leveraging its investment in the Seabras-1 cable system, which connects Brazil and the US. “With the re-launch of Sparkle, we are now getting ready to be the harbinger of innovation in the telecommunication sector,” concludes Attilio.
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