Alcatel SA

Alcatel SA was a French industrial conglomerate active between 1963 and 2006. It has roots to ''Compagnie Générale d’Electricité'' (CGE), a conglomerate founded in 1898 as an early state owned cable and telephone equipment company that later expanded into construction, shipbuilding and energy. In telecommunications, Alcatel it was a major supplier of digital telephone switches, terrestrial and submarine transmission cables, satellite equipment, cellular infrastructure, DSL access equipment and others.

Alcatel (originally short for ''Société Alsacienne de Constructions Atomiques, de Télécommunications et d'Électronique'' - roughly translates into: Alsatian Society of Atomic Constructions, Telecommunications and Electronics) was formed in Mulhouse as part of SACM, an engineering company group. It was absorbed in 1968 or 1970 by ''Compagnie industrielle des télécommunications'' (CIT), the telecom division of conglomerate CGE. CGE was nationalised by the French state under François Mitterrand in 1982, then privatised in 1987. The firm was renamed to Alcatel Alsthom in 1991, and finally to just Alcatel in 1998 after divesting Alstom, the railway vehicle manufacturer, to focus solely on telecommunications.

In 2006, Alcatel acquired the American telecom company Lucent Technologies and renamed itself to Alcatel-Lucent S.A.. Alcatel-Lucent itself was absorbed into Nokia in 2016. Today, the Alcatel name survives in Alcatel Submarine Networks (telecom), Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (software company), Alcatel Mobile (mobile telephones) and Atlinks (fixed-line telephones).

History

Predecessors

* 1898 – French engineer Pierre Azaria sets up the Compagnie Générale d'Électricité (CGE).
* 1919 – Aaron Weil creates the "Téléphone privé" (Private telephone)
* 1925 – CGE becomes part of Compagnie Générale des Câbles de Lyon. Bell Telephone Laboratories is created.
* 1927 – The company is growing, and takes the name of "Téléphonie Industrielle et Commerciale" (TELIC)
* 1928 – Alsthom is formed by Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques and Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston.
* 1946 – The CIT is created (Compagnie Industrielle de Téléphone) with CGE (Compagnie Generale d'Electricité)
* 1947 – ALSATEL is created. (Société Alsacienne et Lorraine de Télécommunication et d'Electronique) to enable sales expansion.
* 1952 – In the United States, ITT Corporation buys a controlling interest in Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company and rebrands its products to ITT Kellogg.
* 1954 – TELIC acquires COFRATEL (Compagnie Française du Téléphone).
* 1960 – TELIC delivers the complex Crossbar technology.
* 1965 – CGE acquires TELIC, becoming a subsidiary of CIT.

Alcatel

* 1970 – Alcatel is created by merging CIT and ENTE, a department of the SACM (Société Alsacienne de Constructions Mécaniques).
* 1970 – Ambroise Roux becomes CGE's chairman. He later becomes the honorary chairman until his death in 1999.
* 1977 – Alcatel's first PBX is created, with digital control.
* 1980 – The Minitel videotex service is launched.
* 1982 – Jean-Pierre Brunet becomes CGE's chairman.
* 1984 – Georges Pebereau becomes CGE's chairman. Thompson telecommunications is absorbed by CGE. Cables de Lyon buys Thompson Jeumont Cables and Kabelmetal.
* 1985 – Alsthom Atlantique becomes Alsthom. Alcatel is formed when CIT-Alcatel and Thompson's telecommunications unit merge.
* 1986 – ITT Corporation sells its international telecommunications and cable business (including ITT Kellogg) to Alsthom, creating Alcatel N.V., a Netherlands company in which ITT retains a 37% stake. A majority stake in Cables de Lyon becomes a subsidiary of Alcatel N.V. Pierre Suard becomes CGE chairman.
* 1987 – CGE is privatized. Alsthom wins the contract for TGV Atlantique for the Northern TGV network.
* 1989 – CGE and the British General Electric Company form GEC Alsthom, which allows Alsthom to sell its products outside France. CGEE-Alsthom becomes Cegelec. AT&T Technologies reorganizes with the following business units: Network Systems, Global Business Communications, Microelectronics and Consumer Products.
* 1991 – CGE changes its name to Alcatel Alsthom and acquires Rockwell Technologies transmission equipment division. Cables de Lyons is renamed Alcatel Cable and takes over AEG Kabel.
* 1991 – Alcatel acquires Telettra, an Italian telecommunication systems company.
* 1992 – Alcatel Alsthom acquires AEG Kabel. ITT Corporation sells its remaining stake in Alcatel N.V. for around $3.6billion.
* 1993 – Alcatel Alsthom acquires STC Submarine Systems from Nortel Networks.
* 1994 – Alcatel Networks Systems received the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing at the Richardson, Texas, Longview, Texas, Raleigh, North Carolina, Clinton, North Carolina, and Nogales, Mexico locations.
* 1995 – Serge Tchuruk is appointed chairman and CEO of Alcatel Alsthom. He restructures the company to focus on telecommunications equipment.
* 1997 – Alcatel Telecom receives IndustryWeek's Best Plants award for the Raleigh, North Carolina, USA plant under Alcatel Network Systems.
* 1998 – Alcatel and Alsthom split. Alsthom GEC becomes Alstom through an IPO (with Alcatel retaining 24%). Alcatel sells Cegelec to the newly formed Alstom. Alcatel acquires DSC Communications for $4.4 billion as well as Packet Engines.
* 1999 – Alcatel acquires Xylan, Assured Access and Internet Devices. Alcatel increases its stake in Thomson CSF to 25.3% and decreases its stake in Framatome to 8.6%.
* 2000 – Alcatel sells the DSL modem business to Thomson Multimedia and acquires Newbridge, Genesys and Innovative Fibers. Alcatel spins off its cable unit into Nexans.
* 2001 – Alcatel sells its stake in Alstom. Alcatel buys back its Alcatel Space investment from Thales, and reduces its stake in Thales to 20.03%. Alcatel sells its 2.2% stake in Areva.
* 2002 – Alcatel acquires Astral Point Communications Inc., Telera Corporation, and control of Alcatel Shanghai Bell. Alcatel sells its microelectronic business to STMicroelectronics, its stake in Thomson, 10.3M shares of Thales, and 1.5M shares of Nexans.
* 2003 – Alcatel acquires iMagicTV, and TiMetra Inc. It sells a 50% stake in Atlinks, and sells its optical business to Avanex.
* 2004 – Alcatel acquires eDial Inc. Alcatel and TCL form a joint venture: Alcatel Mobile Phones, with Alcatel holding a 45% stake. Alcatel and Draka Holdings form a joint venture: Draka Comteq B.V. with Alcatel holding a 49.9 stake. Alcatel finalizes its acquisition of Spatial Wireless but sells 7.1M shares of Avanex.
* 2005 – Alcatel sells its 45% stake of the Alcatel Mobile Phones venture back to TCL.

Notes

References

External links

* {{web archive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001214141400/http://www.alcatel.com, title=Official website

Alcatel
French companies established in 1970
2006 mergers and acquisitions
Telecommunications companies of France
Telecommunications companies established in 1970
Telecommunications companies disestablished in 2006
French companies disestablished in 2006