This article is about the original company in existence from 1970 to 2006. For its present-day successors and other uses of the name, seeAlcatel (disambiguation).
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Alcatel SA was a French industrialconglomerate[3] active between 1963 and 2006. It has roots toCompagnie 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. Intelecommunications, Alcatel was a major supplier of digitaltelephone switches,[4] terrestrial andsubmarine transmission cables,satellite equipment,[5]cellular infrastructure,DSL access equipment and others.[6]
An Alcatel mail sorting machine
Alcatel (originally short forSociété Alsacienne de Constructions Atomiques, de Télécommunications et d'Électronique - roughly translates into: Alsatian Society of Atomic Constructions, Telecommunications and Electronics) was formed inMulhouse as part ofSACM, an engineering company group. It was absorbed in 1968 or 1970 byCompagnie industrielle des télécommunications (CIT), the telecom division of conglomerate CGE.[6] CGE wasnationalised by the French state underFrançois Mitterrand in 1982, then privatised in 1987. The firm was renamed to Alcatel Alsthom in 1991, and finally to just Alcatel in 1998 after divestingAlstom, the railway vehicle manufacturer, to focus solely on telecommunications.[6]
1984 – Georges Pebereau becomes CGE's chairman. Thompson telecommunications is absorbed by CGE.[11] 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.[12]
1986 –ITT Corporation sells its international telecommunications and cable business (includingITT Kellogg) to Alsthom, creating Alcatel N.V., a Netherlands company in which ITT retains a 37% stake.[13] A majority stake in Cables de Lyon becomes a subsidiary of Alcatel N.V.[14]Pierre Suard becomes CGE chairman.
1987 – CGE is privatized.[15] Alsthom wins the contract forTGV Atlantique for the Northern TGV network.
1989 – CGE and the BritishGeneral Electric Company formGEC Alsthom, which allows Alsthom to sell its products outside France. CGEE-Alsthom becomesCegelec.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.[16][17][18] Cables de Lyons is renamed Alcatel Cable and takes over AEG Kabel.
1991 – Alcatel acquiresTelettra, 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.[13]
1993 – Alcatel Alsthom acquires STC Submarine Systems fromNortel Networks.
1995 –Serge Tchuruk is appointed chairman and CEO of Alcatel Alsthom. He restructures the company to focus on telecommunications equipment.[20]
1997 – Alcatel Telecom receivesIndustryWeek's Best Plants award for the Raleigh, North Carolina, USA plant under Alcatel Network Systems.[21]
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[22] as well as Packet Engines.[23]
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%.
2001 – Alcatel sells its stake inAlstom. Alcatel buys back itsAlcatel Space investment from Thales, and reduces its stake in Thales to 20.03%. Alcatel sells its 2.2% stake inAreva.
2002 – Alcatel acquires Astral Point Communications Inc., Telera Corporation, and control of Alcatel Shanghai Bell. Alcatel sells its microelectronic business toSTMicroelectronics, 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.[25] Alcatel finalizes its acquisition of Spatial Wireless but sells 7.1M shares of Avanex.
