Blue

Blue: A Mediterranean Submarine Cable

The Blue submarine cable system connects multiple strategic landing points across the Mediterranean region, spanning approximately 5,055 kilometers. Owned jointly by Google, Sparkle, and Zain Omantel International, the cable is listed as in service and was recorded as ready for service (RFS) in 2023 according to GeoCables data. Its route includes major hubs such as Marseille, Aqaba, and Tel Aviv, making it a key infrastructure for regional and international connectivity. What stands out about Blue is the lack of publicly disclosed technical specifications, such as its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology. This absence of transparency makes it difficult to assess its full capabilities, leaving analysts reliant on indirect observations and comparisons with other cables in the region. Additionally, live latency measurements show some anomalies, underscoring the challenges of accurately gauging end-to-end performance over complex internet paths.

Quick facts

Name	Blue
Length	5,055 km
Ready for Service	2023 (GeoCables database)
Owners	Google, Sparkle, Zain Omantel International
Status	In service
Design Capacity	Not disclosed
Fiber Pairs	Not disclosed
Supplier	Not disclosed
Technology	Not disclosed

Show Blue on the interactive cable map

Route

The Blue cable connects 10 landing points across the Mediterranean region, including Aqaba (Jordan), Bastia (France), Chania (Greece), Genoa (Italy), Golfo Aranci (Italy), Marseille (France), Palermo (Italy), Rome (Italy), Tel Aviv (Israel), and Yeroskipos (Cyprus). This corridor links Europe to the Middle East, facilitating data exchange across diverse geopolitical and economic zones. Marseille serves as a major hub for submarine cables, hosting numerous systems such as 2Africa, Africa-1, PEACE Cable, and SeaMeWe-4. Aqaba and Tel Aviv connect Blue to critical Middle Eastern networks, while Genoa and Bastia provide access to Italy and France, respectively. The cable’s route positions it as a significant player in Mediterranean connectivity.

Why it was built and what it carries

Blue was likely built to enhance connectivity between Europe and the Middle East, providing high-speed data transmission for cloud services, enterprise applications, and internet traffic. Its owners-Google, Sparkle, and Zain Omantel International-are major players in global telecom and cloud services, suggesting a focus on serving both regional and international markets. While its exact design capacity is not publicly disclosed, cables in this corridor typically aim to support tens of terabits per second of data throughput. Blue’s strategic landings in Marseille, Aqaba, and Tel Aviv indicate that it is positioned to serve as a critical link for both regional traffic and intercontinental data exchange.

History: what can be established

GeoCables records the cable as ready for service in 2023. If industry sources suggest a different RFS year, this discrepancy could arise from delays in construction, staggered activation of segments, or differences in how "ready for service" is defined. Publicly available sources do not confirm any alternative RFS year for Blue, leaving GeoCables' 2023 record as the most reliable reference.

Capacity and technology

The design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and technology for Blue have not been disclosed in public sources. Without operator documentation, attributing specific values would be speculative. However, given its ownership by Google, Sparkle, and Zain Omantel International, it is reasonable to assume that Blue employs advanced optical transmission technologies typical of modern cables, such as wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM).

Latency: the physics

The computed theoretical latency for one-way light propagation over Blue’s 5,055 km wet segment is approximately 24.8 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 49.6 milliseconds. Real-world latency measurements, however, include additional delays from land-based infrastructure, routing, and network equipment. Remote probes measuring the full internet path reveal significant variations. For example, Aqaba to Marseille shows a minimum latency of 65.5 ms and an average of 87.3 ms over 285 checks. However, some reported minimums, such as 3.3 ms for Marseille to Aqaba, are below the physical floor and are measurement artifacts caused by rate-limited ICMP replies. These anomalies highlight the importance of distinguishing between theoretical cable performance and observed internet path latency.

Redundancy: what happens if it breaks

The Blue cable’s corridor is rich in alternative systems. At Aqaba, cables such as ANDROMEDA, Coral Bridge, and Raman provide redundancy. Marseille, a major hub, connects to over a dozen cables, including 2Africa, PEACE Cable, and SeaMeWe-4. Tel Aviv is linked to Jonah and MedNautilus Submarine System, while Yeroskipos connects to PEACE Cable and Medusa Submarine Cable System. These alternatives ensure that disruptions to Blue would not isolate its landing points but could temporarily impact capacity and routing efficiency. Repair logistics for submarine cables typically involve deploying specialized cable ships to locate and fix faults. Given Blue’s Mediterranean route, repair operations would likely be conducted by regional operators with experience in this densely cabled area.

Bottom line

• Blue spans 5,055 km and connects 10 landing points across the Mediterranean.
• Owned by Google, Sparkle, and Zain Omantel International, it was recorded as ready for service in 2023.
• Technical specifications such as design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
• Theoretical latency is approximately 24.8 ms one-way, but real-world measurements show higher values due to network factors.
• Redundancy is strong, with multiple alternative cables in the same corridor.