February 9, 2026 by Jocelyn Johnson

In February, the eyes of the world are turning to Italy for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. For the first time, the Games are being held in two cities – Milan in the northwest for indoor events and Cortina in the northeastern alpine region for outdoor events. Milan is more than a great venue for winter sports – it’s a major international center for industry, culture, and tourism.

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The regional capital of Lombardy and the second most populous city in Italy, Milan has deep historical roots – from the Roman Era, to the Renaissance, to the modern era. Today, Milan is considered Italy’s economic capital, generating roughly 20% of the country’s GDP.  Global companies, such as Edison, Luxottica, Pirelli, and UniCredit, maintain their headquarters and significant employment in the city and its suburbs.

Milan is a vibrant technology hub, hosting a mix of tech giants, established local software firms, and fast-growing startups. Top companies include Bending Spoons, Google, Cisco, Satispay, Casavo, Bosch, Capgemini, and IBM, with strong sectors in AI, Fintech, and SaaS.

Cogent has a 20-year history in Milan – lighting our first data center in 2006 with IP Transit service – connecting to the rest of Italy, to greater Europe and beyond. Today, we offer service in 29 CNDCs in greater Milan – connecting local and global tech companies, regional carriers, and others to our global backbone. We recently opened our Milan office in Via Caldera, putting us right at the heart of Italy’s Internet connectivity.

With the Olympic Games in full swing, we know our fiber is carrying photos and videos of amazing performances, emails and texts about personal bests, and all the other electronic memories of the athletes and the spectators to their family and friends at home.

About the Author:
Jocelyn Johnson is Senior Manager of Marketing Communications at Cogent. She oversees the development of our customer facing content - working with both technical and non-technical teams to highlight Cogent's products and how they can address unique customer challenges.