Janna

Overview

Janna is a domestic submarine cable system operating entirely within Italy. Spanning 634 kilometres, it connects multiple coastal points along the Italian mainland and the islands of Sardinia, serving an intra-national corridor within the Mediterranean.

Route and Landings

All four landing points are located in Italy. On the mainland, the cable lands at Civitavecchia, a port city on the Tyrrhenian coast north of Rome, and at Mazara del Vallo, situated on the southwestern tip of Sicily. On the island of Sardinia, the cable comes ashore at both Cagliari, the island's principal city on its southern coast, and Olbia, located on the northeastern coast of Sardinia.

Ownership and Operators

Janna is owned by a consortium of four entities: EXA Infrastructure, Regione Sardegna, Tiscali, and WINDTRE. The presence of Regione Sardegna — the regional government of Sardinia — reflects a public-sector interest in ensuring connectivity to the island. Tiscali is an Italian telecommunications provider historically headquartered in Cagliari, Sardinia, and WINDTRE is one of Italy's principal mobile and fixed-line operators.

Technical Profile

Janna has a total cable length of 634 kilometres, consistent with a system bridging the Sardinian and Sicilian islands with the Italian mainland across the Tyrrhenian and surrounding Mediterranean waters.

Status and Timeline

Janna entered service in 2005 and remains operational today, connecting its four Italian landing points.

Regional Context

Within Italy's submarine cable landscape, Janna occupies a distinct position as a purely domestic system. The regional peers active in Italian waters — including AAE-1, IMEWE, 2Africa, and the Middle East North Africa Cable System — are long-haul international systems spanning thousands of kilometres across multiple continents, while MedNautilus and the forthcoming Medusa Submarine Cable System serve broader Mediterranean connectivity. At 634 kilometres and with all landings in Italy, Janna focuses specifically on intra-national links rather than international transit.

Strategic Role

By connecting Sardinia — via both Cagliari and Olbia — to the Sicilian landing at Mazara del Vallo and the mainland port of Civitavecchia, Janna provides submarine connectivity between geographically separated parts of Italy. The involvement of the Sardinian regional government among its owners underlines the cable's role in serving the island's telecommunications infrastructure alongside commercial operators.