GO-1 Mediterranean Cable System

Overview

GO-1 Mediterranean Cable System is a short submarine cable connecting Italy and Malta across the central Mediterranean. At 290 kilometres in length, it serves the bilateral corridor between these two countries, providing direct connectivity between the Italian mainland and the Maltese archipelago.

Route and Landings

In Italy, the cable lands at Mazara del Vallo, a coastal town on the southwestern tip of Sicily. In Malta, the cable lands at St. Paul's Bay, on the northeastern coast of the main island.

Ownership and Operators

GO-1 is owned solely by GO plc, a Maltese telecommunications operator. As the sole owner, GO plc is responsible for the operation and management of the cable system.

Technical Profile

No technical specifications such as capacity, fiber pairs, or supplier information are publicly available for GO-1 at this time. The cable spans 290 km between its two landing points.

Status and Timeline

GO-1 Mediterranean Cable System entered service in 2008 and is currently operational, providing active connectivity between Italy and Malta.

Regional Context

The Italy–Malta corridor hosts several other submarine systems, ranging considerably in scale and reach. Long-haul cables such as AAE-1, 2Africa, and IMEWE use Italian landing points as part of routes extending across Asia, Africa, and beyond, while PEACE Cable reaches Malta as part of its longer international route. The forthcoming Medusa system will land in both Italy and Malta, as GO-1 does, when it enters service in 2026. By contrast, GO-1 is a short, point-to-point system dedicated specifically to the Italy–Malta link. Recent latency measurements on GO-1 show an average round-trip time of 58.6 ms, with a best recorded result of 39.5 ms across 98 tests in the past 60 days.

Strategic Role

GO-1 provides a direct submarine connection between Sicily and Malta, linking the two countries across a relatively narrow stretch of the Mediterranean. As a dedicated bilateral cable owned by Malta's primary telecoms operator, it supports connectivity between Malta and the broader European network via Italy. The cable's short geographic span reflects the proximity of the two landing territories, and its single-owner structure gives GO plc direct stewardship over this international link.