In a deal worth $129m Pirelli SpA looks set to supply a fibre optic telecommunications system connecting Palermo in Sicily, with Russia and the Ukraine: Maristel, Pirelli’s joint venture with state telecommunications company Sirti SpA, will install undersea cables produced in Pirelli Cavi’s Naples plant in the Palermo-Istanbul stretch; AT&T Corp has joined about 30 international carriers in agreeing to invest in the system, the first optical highway serving the Black Sea; the 100 mile link is called ITUR, after the countries it will connect – Italy, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia; the cable system will cost approximately $155m and have over 15,000 circuits operating at 64Kbps; it has sufficient capacity to process more than 50,000 simultaneous telephone conversations; and begins service early in 1996.
