Medloop

Overview

Medloop is a regional submarine cable system spanning approximately 1,360 km across the western Mediterranean Sea. It connects France, Italy, and Spain, serving a corridor that links major coastal hubs on the northern Mediterranean shoreline. The cable is wholly owned by SIPARTECH Sarl, a French telecommunications infrastructure operator.

Route and Landings

In France, Medloop lands at two points: Ajaccio, on the island of Corsica, and Marseille, on the southern mainland coast.

In Italy, the cable comes ashore at Genoa, on the Ligurian coast in the northwest of the country.

In Spain, Medloop lands at Barcelona, on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula.

Ownership and Operators

Medloop is owned entirely by SIPARTECH Sarl. SIPARTECH is a French operator specialising in optical fibre infrastructure, with a focus on Mediterranean and European connectivity. As the sole owner, SIPARTECH is responsible for the operation and management of the cable system.

Status and Timeline

Medloop entered service in 2023. The cable is currently operational, providing connectivity across its four landing points in France, Italy, and Spain.

Regional Context

The western and central Mediterranean is served by a range of submarine cable systems, most of which are long-haul intercontinental routes passing through the region. Systems such as 2Africa, Asia Africa Europe-1 (AAE-1), PEACE Cable, SeaMeWe-6, Africa Coast to Europe (ACE), and Apollo all traverse parts of this corridor, but typically serve broader transatlantic or Asia-Europe paths rather than short-haul intra-Mediterranean connectivity. Medloop, at 1,360 km, is distinctly regional in scale, directly linking Corsica, the French mainland, the Italian Ligurian coast, and the Spanish Catalan coast within a compact western Mediterranean footprint.

Measured performance over recent testing shows an average round-trip latency of 58.4 ms, with a best recorded result of 29.0 ms across 99 ping tests.

Strategic Role

By linking Ajaccio, Marseille, Genoa, and Barcelona, Medloop provides direct submarine connectivity between three European countries within the northwestern Mediterranean. The inclusion of Ajaccio gives Corsica a direct fibre connection to both the French mainland and neighbouring Mediterranean nations. For SIPARTECH, the cable extends its optical infrastructure network into an international submarine context, complementing terrestrial and coastal fibre assets across France and its Mediterranean neighbours.