It was an announcement that surprised the Calais employees of Alcatel Submarine Networks this Thursday: the State will to buy 80% of the submarine cable production group, a highly strategic sector. It thus regains control of the current owner, the Finnish Nokia, a few days before the legislative elections.
More than 600 jobs in Calais
Rumors about a possible sale of the company by Nokia have been rife for months. But everything has accelerated in recent weeks with the visit at the beginning of the month by the CEO of Nokia Monde to Calais.
According to the Ministry of the Economy, the potential buyers proposed by Nokia “were not necessarily suitable“. And the submarine cable sector is more than strategicsince all internet and mobile phone communications pass through them.
The State therefore decided to pay 100 million euros to buy ASN, with the possibility of ultimately nationalizing it 100%.
An announcement greeted by the mayor of Calais : “I welcome this takeover of the French State which will bring the necessary stability in this sector“, writes Natacha Bouchard on Facebook.
The unions are for the moment more cautious, and are waiting for details on the future of the Calais site and the industrial strategy that will be put in place.
