Medloop: a regional submarine cable linking Southern Europe
The Medloop submarine cable is a 1360-kilometer fiber-optic system connecting four key landing points in Southern Europe:
Ajaccio (France),
Barcelona (Spain),
Genoa (Italy), and
Marseille (France). Owned by SIPARTECH Sarl, the cable is listed as in service and was recorded as ready for service (RFS) in 2023 according to GeoCables database records. While its design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and specific technology remain undisclosed, Medloop serves as an important link between Mediterranean cities with significant connectivity infrastructure.
What stands out about Medloop is its positioning in a region with dense submarine cable activity. Each of its landing points hosts multiple other cables, which raises questions about its specific role in the network ecosystem. Additionally, while theoretical latency values for the cable can be computed based on its length, live measurements from internet probes suggest the impact of terrestrial routing and equipment on real-world performance.
Quick facts
| Cable name | Medloop |
| Length (km) | 1360 |
| Ready for service (RFS) | 2023 (GeoCables database) |
| Owners | SIPARTECH Sarl |
| Status | In service |
| Design capacity | Not disclosed |
| Fiber pairs | Not disclosed |
| Supplier | Not disclosed |
| Technology | Not disclosed |
| Landing points | Ajaccio (France), Barcelona (Spain), Genoa (Italy), Marseille (France) |
Route
Medloop connects four Mediterranean cities: Ajaccio, Barcelona, Genoa, and Marseille. Ajaccio, located on the island of Corsica, is a less common landing point for submarine cables compared to the mainland cities. Barcelona, Genoa, and Marseille are major hubs for international connectivity, with Marseille being one of the most heavily connected cable landing points in the world. The cable's route spans both island and mainland territories, reflecting the geographic diversity of the Mediterranean region.
Why it was built and what it carries
Although SIPARTECH Sarl has not publicly disclosed the specific motivations behind Medloop, the cable likely addresses regional connectivity needs within Southern Europe. It may provide additional capacity for data traffic between France, Spain, and Italy, or serve as a redundant path for existing cables in the area. The Mediterranean corridor is a critical zone for international data exchange, and Medloop's deployment may enhance the reliability of this network, particularly for local and regional traffic.
History: what can be established
GeoCables records Medloop's ready-for-service year as 2023, and the cable is listed as in service. Publicly available sources do not suggest an alternative RFS year, nor do they provide detailed information about its construction timeline or deployment challenges. The absence of such details is not uncommon for cables operated by smaller entities or serving primarily regional purposes.
Capacity and technology
The design capacity, fiber pair count, supplier, and specific technology of Medloop are not disclosed in public records. Without operator documentation, any estimates would be speculative. It is standard industry practice for modern submarine cables to use dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology to maximize capacity, but whether Medloop employs this or other advanced systems cannot be confirmed.
Latency: the physics
Theoretical latency for Medloop's wet segment can be calculated based on its length of 1360 kilometers. At a light propagation speed of approximately 200,000 to 204,000 kilometers per second in optical fiber, one-way latency is around 6.7 milliseconds, with a round-trip time (RTT) floor of 13.3 milliseconds. However, live measurements from remote probes show significantly higher latencies, such as a minimum RTT of 27.0 milliseconds between Genoa and Barcelona and 28.9 milliseconds in the reverse direction. These discrepancies arise from additional latency introduced by terrestrial routing, terminal equipment, and internet path inefficiencies.
Redundancy: what happens if it breaks
Medloop operates in a region with dense submarine cable activity, providing redundancy options in case of outages. At Ajaccio, the Corse-Continent 5 cable offers an alternative path. Barcelona, Genoa, and Marseille host multiple cables, including
2Africa,
Medusa Submarine Cable System, and others. Marseille, in particular, is a global connectivity hub with over a dozen cables landing there. Repair logistics for submarine cables typically involve specialized vessels and can take weeks depending on the nature of the fault and environmental conditions.
Bottom line
- Medloop is a 1360-kilometer submarine cable connecting Ajaccio, Barcelona, Genoa, and Marseille.
- Owned by SIPARTECH Sarl, it was recorded as ready for service in 2023.
- Design capacity, fiber pairs, supplier, and technology are not publicly disclosed.
- Theoretical latency is 6.7 ms one-way, but real-world measurements show higher values due to terrestrial routing and equipment.
- Redundancy is available through numerous other cables landing at its endpoints.