Nokia has completed the sale of Alcatel Submarine Networks to France. The company wants to strengthen its focus on its core business, but retains a portion of the shares for now.
Nokia has sold Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to the French government. The sale was announced in the summer of 2024, and is now complete. ASN was owned by Nokia, but operated as its own entity. France says it fully supports ASN’s management and strategy, and will continue to invest in the company.
Telecom Connections
ASN is laying undersea optical cables. These are essential for global telecom connections. The cables lay on the seafloor for a long time without being considered by the general public, but some most likely Russian-inspired cutting actions have brought the existence of the critical infrastructure into the public eye in recent months.
ASN has been laying undersea telecom links since 1994, and has 800,000 km of cabling on the seabed. The network connects telecom, content and service providers, but also connects installations in the sea such as drilling rigs.
European hands
Given the critical nature of ASN, Nokia points out that the company will remain in European hands even after the sale. Nokia itself wants to focus more on its core business, and is therefore divesting ASN. The company does retain a seat on its board of directors for now, as well as 20 percent of its shares. In this way, France and Nokia want to achieve a smooth ownership transition. At a time to be determined, a complete exit will then follow.