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Alcatel Submarine Networks

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Alcatel Submarine Networks
TypeSimplified joint stock company
IndustryTelecommunications
Founded1858 (1858)
Headquarters1 avenue du Canada, Les Ulis, Paris-Saclay, France
Key people
Alain Biston (CEO)
ServicesManufacture, deployment and maintenance of submarine cable networks
Revenue692,000,000 euro (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
−89,100,000 euro (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
OwnerAgence des participations de l'État (80%)
Nokia (20%)
Number of employees
2,000
Websiteasn.com
Lodbrog in 2013

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) is a French company and one of the three world leaders in the manufacture and installation of submarine cables (alongside NEC and SubCom). It is majority-owned by the French government.

Alcatel Submarine Networks originated from various earlier firms, including the Submarine Telegraph Company and the Compagnie Générale d'Électricité. Following a series of reorganisations and acquisitions during the early 1990s, Alcatel Submarine Networks emerged as a subsidiary of the French telecoms specialist Alcatel. In 2000, it formed a long-running joint venture with Louis Dreyfus Armatuers (LDA) to build, own and operate a fleet of cable ships. During 2006, Alcatel Submarine Networks was rebranded as Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks after Alcatel became Alcatel-Lucent. Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks was acquired by the Finnish group Nokia in 2016, and was owned by Nokia France between 2016 and 2024. The French state acquired 80% of the company's capital in November 2024.[1]

Alcatel Submarine Networks designs, manufactures, lays and maintains telecommunications submarine cables and related equipment, using its own vessels to carry optical fibre around the globe. Laying telecommunications submarine cables is a strategic industry.[2][3] ASN, Subcom and NEC dominate this global market, with 99% of Internet traffic passing through these cables, 80% of which transits through the United States, whatever its destination.[4] In 2018, ASN's market share (30%) was ahead of Japanese competitor NEC (23%) and American Subcom (20%).[5] By 2020, ASN had laid 600,000 kilometers of cables.[6] As of 2024, ASN has 2,000 employees, including 1,370 in France. The company has several sites in France, the United Kingdom and Norway. Alcatel Submarine Networks has a fleet of seven cable-laying vessels and is the world No. 1 in the sector.[1]

History

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Alcatel Submarine Networks can trace its origins back to the British Submarine Telegraph Company, founded in 1851 with the involvement of the engineer Thomas Crampton, which in the same year laid the first telegraph cable between England and France. The company went on to lay other cables connecting England and Jersey to the continent until it was taken over by the General Post Office in 1890.[7]

In 1925, the Compagnie Générale d'Électricité absorbed the Compagnie Générale des Cables de Lyon. In 1991, Compagnie Générale d'Électricité changed its name to Alcatel-Alsthom;[8] subsequently, Compagnie Générale des Câbles de Lyon became Alcatel Câble and acquired AEG Kabel in exchange for $586 million,[9][10]

In 1993, Alcatel Cable acquired the British company STC Submarine Systems (the successor company to the Submarine Telegraph Company) and its 34,000 m2 factory at Enderby's Wharf on the Greenwich Peninsula on the banks of the Thames, where submarine cables had been made since 1857.[11][12] The company had latterly been a division of Northern Telecom Europe (which later became Nortel). Alcatel Cable became the world's leading cable manufacturer, with around 40% of the global market for fibre-optic submarine telecommunications cables. At the time of the acquisition, its production capacity was roughly 30,000 km of optical cable per year.[13]

In June 1994, Alcatel merged its submarine telecommunications activities into a new company called Alcatel Submarine Systems; this subsidiary was 51% owned by Alcatel Câble (which became Nexans) while 49% was held by Alcatel-CIT.[14] On 9 October 2000, Alcatel Cable became Nexans; Alcatel retained Alcatel Submarine Networks and 20% of Nexans (this stake in Nexans was resold in 2005).[15][16]

In 2000, Alcatel Submarine Networks and Louis Dreyfus Armatuers (LDA) formed a partnership called ALDA Marine. This joint venture focused on the building, owning and operation of a fleet of cable ships to provide subsea telecommunication cable systems and marine operations in the global market.[17]

During 2003, Alcatel was part of the consortium to build the Sudan to South Africa undersea cable link called Eastern Africa Submarine System (EASSy).[18][19] Following the completion of EASSy, Alcatel has remained involved in the operation of the cable as well as the expansion of its capacity.[20]

In June 2003, one of Alcatel Submarine Networks' vessels, Heimdal, performed a record-breaking repair of submarine optical fiber in the Pacific Ocean, on the route between Japan and the United States, at an extreme depth of almost 9,400 km.[21]

On 1 December 2006, Alcatel acquired Lucent Technologies to form Alcatel-Lucent; consequently, Alcatel Submarine Networks was rebranded as Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks.[22][23]

On 8 April 2009, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks signed a supply contract with a telecoms consortium for the construction and maintenance of the West Africa Cable System (WACS), a cable linking South Africa and the United Kingdom via the Atlantic Ocean.[24] On 15 July 2010, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks began laying the WACS cable with the departure of Île de Bréhat from the cable factory in Calais, loaded with nearly 6,000 km of submarine cable. The cable was laid by Île de Bréhat and its sister ship Île de Sein, installation work officially ended on 19 April 2011 with the laying of the cable in Yzerfontein and the cable was declared operational on 11 May 2012 when it was illuminated in South Africa.[25][26]

In mid 2011, Alcatel Submarine Networks made use of its cable ships in an unconventional manner when the CS Ile de Sein contributed to the recovery of the flight data recorder along with the bodies of numerous victims from Air France Flight 447 in the Atlantic. This action proved that the company has the versatility to use the vessel to recover an object from the seabed for telecommunications or emergency assistance purposes.[27][28]

In October 2014, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks acquired the Norwegian company Optoplan, which was formerly a division of the French oil group CGG.[29][30]

In 2015, Alcatel-Lucent renewed their partnership with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA). Furthermore, Alcatel-Lucent took ownership of all seven ships in the fleet, which would be operated by LDA.[31]

On 15 April 2015, Alcatel-Lucent announced its acquisition by the Finnish telecoms giant Nokia. While Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks would become part of Nokia's Submarine Network Solutions division in France, but was intended to remain operationally independent.[32][33] In 2017, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks reverted to its original name, Alcatel Submarine Networks.[34]

In October 2018, Nokia and the French telecoms provider Ekinops confirmed that they had been in discussions for several months about a possible takeover of Alcatel Submarine Networks;[35] however, these discussions came to an end in April 2019.[36] Around this time, the French government reportedly continued to seek a round of financing, that was speculated to potentially include Orange Marine, in order to protect its strategic interests.[37]

In January 2021, ASN launched construction of the Africa-1 submarine cable to connect Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.[38] That same year, ASN added two more cable ships to its fleet, CS Ile d'Yeu and CS Ile de Molène.[39] Two years later, Nokia and ASN added another cable ship to the fleet, CS Ile d'Ouessant;[40] this vessel was purchased in 2019 and had been built in 2011 as the CS Toisa Warrior.[41]

By 1 January 2022, ASN had laid more than 700,000 km of cable on the seabed, maintained more than 300,000 km of cable and commissioned more than 200 fibre optic systems.[42]

On 27 June 2024, the French government announced that it had reached an agreement with Nokia to buy 80% of ASN's shares through the Agence des participations de l'État (APE). This decision meant that the 'strategic company' is once again controlled by a French shareholder, after the Finnish group had been considering the company's future for two years. The deal is valued at €100 million, drawn from the government's financial holdings special allocation account, whereas the total value of the company (including cash and debt) is €350 million. Nokia retains 20% of the capital, but the APE will be able to buy back this share, under conditions that have not been communicated.[1][43][44] ASN reportedly held around a third of the global market, alongside TE SubCom of the US and NEC of Japan; its optical fibre now covers more than 800,000 kilometres of the Earth, almost twenty times its circumference. ASN operates in a growing market, with growth expected to be close to 10% per year until at least 2032, according to Global Market Insights. The French government completed its takeover of ASN by signing a contract to acquire 80% of the capital on 5 November 2024 in Calais, at the company's historic plant.[44][45][46][47]

During March 2026, ASN announced that it would invest €100 million into the modernisation of its submarine cable factories in both Calais and Greenwich to enable the production of next-generation cables.[48]

Fleet

[edit]
Nokia cable ship Île d'Aix in 2019

In 2023, ASN had seven vessels.[49] The Île de Bréhat, Île de Batz, Île de Sein, Île d'Aix and Île d'Yeu are used to lay submarine cables, while the Île d'Ouessant and Île de Molène are used for cable maintenance.[50][51]

In 2011, ASN purchased the CS Gulmar Badaro, renaming it CS Ile d'Aix, to further expand its operations. This vessel was built in 1992 and was equipped for cable repair and laying.[52][53]

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. 1 2 3 Cheminat, Jacques (27 June 2024). "L'Etat rachète 80% d'Alcatel Submarine Networks - Le Monde Informatique" [The State buys 80% of Alcatel Submarine Networks - Le Monde Informatique]. LeMondeInformatique.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  2. ↑ "Les câbles sous-marins, autoroutes vitales de l'Internet mondial" [Submarine cables, vital highways of the global Internet]. latribune.fr (in French). 24 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Les Câbles sous-marins : une guerre invisible... aux effets volcaniques" [Submarine Cables: An invisible war... with volcanic effects]. latribune.fr (in French). 24 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Le Dessous des cartes - Câbles sous-marins : la guerre invisible" [Underneath the Maps — Submarine Cables: The Invisible War]. arte.tv (in French). 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Izambard, Antoine (12 September 2019). "Alcatel Submarine Networks, le champion français des câbles sous-marins revit grâce à Facebook et Google" [Alcatel Submarine Networks, the French champion of submarine cables, is revitalised thanks to Facebook and Google]. Challenges (in French). Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Submarine Cable Security in the Indian Ocean". nsc.crawford.anu.edu.au. Australian National University. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Glover, Bill (31 July 2020). "The Submarine Telegraph Company". atlantic-cable.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ "Alcatel-Lucent Company History". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "ALCATEL AGREES AEG AG TAKEOVER PRICE". techmonitor.ai. 27 October 1991.
  10. ↑ "Case No IV/M.165: ALCATEL / AEG KABEL" (PDF). European Commission. 18 December 1991.
  11. ↑ Green, Allan. "150 Years Of Industry & Enterprise At Enderby's Wharf". History of the Atlantic Cable & Undersea Communications. Retrieved 12 April 2011.
  12. ↑ "Alcatel Cable SA and STC Ltd" (PDF). Monopolies and Mergers Commission. February 1994.
  13. ↑ Alberganti, Michel (22 July 1993). "Alcatel Câble devient leader mondial du câble sous-marin" [Alcatel Cable becomes the world leader in submarine cables]. Les Échos (in French). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  14. ↑ Nouvelle, L'Usine (14 January 2013). "L'activité câble sous-marin d'Alcatel est-elle si stratégique?" [Is Alcatel’s submarine cable business really that strategic?]. usinenouvelle.com (in French). Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Les activités Câbles et Composants d'Alcatel donnent naissance à Nexans - Nexans" [Alcatel's Cables and Components businesses give birth to Nexans]. nexans.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  16. ↑ Cooke, Andrew (10 August 2021). "Nexans Aurora". shippingtandy.com.
  17. ↑ "Louis Dreyfus Armateurs turns the tide with creative and cutting-edge maritime solutions". South China Morning Post. 29 March 2018.
  18. ↑ Guermazi, Boutheina. "INNOVATIVE BUSINESS MODELS FOR EXPANDING FIBER-OPTIC NETWORKS AND CLOSING THE ACCESS GAPS" (PDF). documents1.worldbank.org. Digital Development Partnership. p. 66. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  19. ↑ "The EASSy Project: East African Submarine Cable System". columbia.edu. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  20. ↑ "Africa's EASSy cable set for upgrade". brandsouthafrica.com. 31 January 2014.
  21. ↑ "Alcatel breaks world record in deep-sea cable repairs in the Pacific Ocean". Lightwave. 23 June 2003. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  22. ↑ Bajaj, Vikas (2 April 2006). "Alcatel and Lucent Agree to Merge in $13.4 Billion Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. ↑ Lazonick, William; March, Edward (2011). "The Rise and Demise of Lucent Technologies". The Business History Conference.
  24. ↑ "Alcatel-lucent : Contrat avec le consortium wacs" [Alcatel-Lucent: Contract with the WACS consortium]. tradingsat.com (in French). 8 April 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  25. ↑ "WACS Landing in pictures". IT news Africa. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  26. ↑ "WACS launched in South Africa". mybroadband.co.za. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  27. ↑ "Phoenix Conducts Flight 447 Critical Item Recoveries" (PDF). INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AIR SAFETY INVESTIGATORS (ISASI). Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Bodies from Atlantic crash arrive in France". aljazeera.com. 16 June 2011.
  29. ↑ "Alcatel-Lucent rachète Optoplan à CGG" [Alcatel-Lucent acquires Optoplan from CGG]. investir.lesechos.fr (in French). 22 October 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  30. ↑ "Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks to acquire Optoplan". fibre-systems.com. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  31. ↑ "Alcatel-Lucent closes transaction streamlining its cable ship operations and renewing its long term partnership with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs". www.lda.fr. Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  32. ↑ "Nokia et Alcatel-Lucent se rapprochent pour créer un leader des technologies innovantes pour les..." [Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent join forces to create a leader in innovative technologies...]. alcatel-lucent.com (in French). 15 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "La filiale de câbles sous-marins d'Alcatel-Lucent bientôt indépendante" [Alcatel-Lucent's submarine cable subsidiary soon to be independent]. alcatel-lucent.com (in French). 15 April 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  34. ↑ "History - ASN". asn.com (in French). 1 January 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  35. ↑ "Ekinops Eyes Alcatel Submarine Networks". offshore-energy.biz. 19 October 2018.
  36. ↑ "Ekinops échoue à racheter Alcatel Submarine Networks" [Ekinops fails to buy back Alcatel Submarine Networks]. latribune.fr avec Reuters (in French). 12 April 2019.
  37. ↑ Cabirol, Michel; Manière, Pierre (9 December 2019). "Pourquoi Nokia ne veut plus lâcher Alcatel Submarine Networks" [Why Nokia no longer wants to let go of Alcatel Submarine Networks]. ssiplg.com (in French).
  38. ↑ "ASN STARTS THE CONSTRUCTION OF AFRICA-1, A NEW SUBSEA TELECOM SYSTEM TO CONNECT AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE". subtelforum.com. 28 January 2021.
  39. ↑ "ASN Adds Two More Vessels To Their Fleet". subtelforum.com. Submarine Telecom Forum. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  40. ↑ "Who we are". web.asn.com. Alcatel Submarine Systems. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  41. ↑ "ALCATEL SUBMARINE NETWORKS REJUVENATES ITS FLEET BY ACQUIRING ILE D'OUESSANT, A NEW MAINTENANCE VESSEL". web.asn.com. Alcatel Submarine Networks. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  42. ↑ "Alcatel Submarine Networks (Nozay, Île-de-France)". UIMM. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  43. ↑ "Câbles sous-marins: l'État va racheter 80% d'Alcatel Submarine Networks" [Submarine cables: the State is going to buy back 80% of Alcatel Submarine Networks]. lefigaro.fr avec AFP (in French). 27 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  44. 1 2 Pinaud, Olivier (4 November 2024). "ASN, fabricant « stratégique » de câbles télécoms sous-marins, nationalisé par l'Etat" [ASN, 'strategic' manufacturer of submarine telecom cables, nationalised by the State]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  45. ↑ Pontiroli, Thomas (4 November 2024). "Câbles sous-marins : l'Etat finalise le rachat du spécialiste français ASN" [Submarine cables: the State finalises the buyout of the French specialist ASN]. LesEchos.fr. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  46. ↑ Bernes, Guilhem (4 November 2024). "L'Etat enterine la nationalisation du géant des câbles sous-marins Alcatel Submarine Network pour 100 millions d'euros" [The State confirms the nationalisation of the submarine cable giant Alcatel Submarine Networks for 100 million euros]. UsineNouvelle.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  47. ↑ "ASN et ses câbles sous-marins : les contours d'un achat stratégique de l'État" [ASN and its submarine cables: the outlines of a strategic purchase by the State]. La Tribune (in French). 5 November 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  48. ↑ Sharma, Ray (March 2026). "Alcatel Submarine Networks Invests €100M to Modernize Submarine Cable Factories in Calais & Greenwich". thefastmode.com.
  49. ↑ "ASN - Alcatel Submarine Networks". web.asn.com. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  50. ↑ Britz, Caroline (11 December 2017). "ASN : Plongée dans le monde des câbles sous-marins". MeretMarine.com. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  51. ↑ "ASN : l'Ile d'Ouessant va remplacer le Peter Faber". MeretMarine.com. 24 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
  52. ↑ "GULMAR BADARO - IMO 9009310". shipspotting.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  53. ↑ Britz, Caroline (16 December 2020). "Le câblier Ile d'Aix augmente sa capacité de stockage de câble". MeretMarine.com. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
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