The KIMONAS subsystem will be operational by the end of 2015 and will connect Cyprus and Greece through a Cyta wholly-owned subsea fibre pair between Cyta’s landing station at Pentaskhinos and MedNautilus landing station at Chania, Crete.
Nicosia, Rome, 2 November, 2015: Cyta, the premier telecommunications provider in Cyprus, and Telecom Italia Sparkle, the international services arm of the Telecom Italia Group and among the top ten global services providers, are pleased to announce that the new KIMONAS subsea cable subsystem linking Cyprus with Crete will come into full commercial service by the end of 2015.
KIMONAS will be Cyta’s first wholly owned optical fibre cable subsystem connecting Cyprus and Greece. The subsystem, that will connect Cyta’s cable station in Pentaskhinos with MedNautilus Cable Station in Chania, complements alternative Cyta’s segments on the MedNautilus subsea cable network and in particular the MINERVA and ATHENA rings, which connect Cyprus with Sicily, and Athens with Crete, respectively.
Extending to Athens through the ΑΤΗΕΝΑ ring and beyond to Bulgaria via Thessaloniki, by utilizing fibre infrastructure of wholly-owned subsidiary Cyta Hellas in Greece, KIMONAS will facilitate the creation of a new telecommunications corridor, connecting the Balkans and Central Europe with Egypt and other Middle East destinations, via Cyprus. At the same time, it will allow the interconnection to Turkey in the East and Italy and other European destinations in the West, through Telecom Italia Sparkle’s network.
"Through Cyta’s extensive international telecommunications infrastructure, comprising multiple subsea cable systems connecting with neighbouring countries and other international destinations, Cyprus currently constitutes a major telecommunications hub in the Mediterranean region. At the same time, Cyta Hellas boasts an extensive fiber optic cable network more than 5,500 km long, covering more than 70% of the population of Greece and extending from south in Crete, all the way to the north of Greece and beyond, to neighbouring Balkan countries. The new KIMONAS cable subsystem offers Cyta and Cyta Hellas, reciprocal business opportunities to access new markets in Europe and the Middle East, providing synergies for the Cyta Group via a common Cyprus – Greece front, creating a major telecommunications bridge between East and West" says Yiannis Koulias, Cyta Hellas’ CEO and Cyta’s Director National & International Wholesale Market.
"The agreement for KIMONAS subsystem fosters a new partnership between the Cyta Group and Telecom Italia Sparkle that enhances the strategic role of Cyta as a major cable hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, and strengthens TI Sparkle’s position in the region, presenting opportunities for additional successful joint projects, and enabling both Cyta and TI Sparkle to better serve their customers" says Michalis Achilleos, Cyta’s CEO.
"With this new agreement that follows the many others that we have implemented in previous years, Cyta proves once more to be one of Telecom Italia Sparkle most relevant and reliable partners in the region" says Zvika Caspy, Telecom Italia Sparkle Executive Vice President Sales for Europe.
"This new endeavour strengthens the strategic relationship with our partner Cyta even more and at the same time, it enables us to consolidate our position as the leading IP and Data service provider in the Mediterranean, leveraging our proprietary fully protected state-of-the-art subsea network system that connects major telecommunications markets of the region, including Greece and Turkey, to Italy and the rest of Europe" says Alessandro Talotta, Chairman and CEO of Telecom Italia Sparkle.
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About Cyta:
Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta) is the primary telecommunications provider in Cyprus. Its product portfolio covers the whole spectrum of electronic communications ranging from fixed and mobile telephony to internet service provision and broadband applications. Cyta, through its strategic business unit Cytaglobal, is particularly active in the area of international submarine fibre optic cables, providing wholesale products and services on a global basis, and has established Cyprus as a regional telecommunication hub in the Eastern Mediterranean. Find out more about Cyta and Cytaglobal at:
www.cyta.com.cy
www.cytaglobal.com
About Telecom Italia Sparkle:
Telecom Italia Sparkle S.p.A. (TI Sparkle) is the wholly owned subsidiary of Telecom Italia Group (NYSE:TI) with the mission to develop and consolidate the Italian telco’s international services business. As a leading global carrier and through a global backbone of around 570.000 km of fiber, TI Sparkle offers a full range of IP, Data, Cloud, Data Center, Mobile Data and Voice solutions to fixed and mobile operators, Internet service providers, Media and Content providers and to Multinational enterprises. Its sales force is active worldwide and distributed over 39 countries.
MedΝautilus is the Mediterranean operations of the Telecom Italia Sparkle Group and is the only telecommunication submarine cable ring in the Mediterranean since 2001. The MedNautilus network provides end-to-end connectivity from the eastern part of the Mediterranean to major destinations in Europe and is the leading provider in the region.
Find out more about Telecom Italia Sparkle at:
www.tisparkle.com or www.world.tisparkle.com
TI Sparkle Media Contact:
Filippo Sanpaolesi
TI Sparkle Communication
+390652745037
filippo.sanpaolesi@tisparkle.com
