A steamroller. In just a few years, American digital giants have seized the strategic submarine cable market, through which 99% of intercontinental telephone and data exchanges pass. While in 2010 their names were foreign to this area, in 2019, Gafam controlled half of the network infrastructure in the Atlantic Ocean, and 70% including joint investments. And this is not about to change: the Gafam are involved in all projects. This summer, Microsoft and Meta celebrated the laying of the Friendship cable between the United States, France and the United Kingdom. We find Mark Zuckerberg’s group at the helm of the colossal construction site 2Africa, this 45,000 kilometer cable which will surround Africa. Again on September 25, Google announced the construction of Nuvem, a new transatlantic link between South Carolina, Bermuda and Portugal.
In the area of submarine cables, the game seems to be over, with a victory for the United States by knockout. France, however, is a shadow power in this strategic sector. At the end of September, a newcomer to the port of La Seyne-sur-Mer, near Toulon (Var), conveniently called him back. This is where Orange’s new generation cable ship, the Sophie-Germain, made his first official appearance. 100 meters long, nicely tapered, it takes over from the valiant Raymond-Croze, and should roam the waters for the next forty years. With a crucial mission: quickly repair damaged Internet cables.
Unforeseen events that happen more frequently than we think, ship anchors having the annoying habit of carrying away these precious ropes. In the open sea, rockslides in the shallows can also break them. Once the alert was received, Orange Marine rushed to dispatch emergency services to restore the connection. “We undertake, by contract, to leave within twenty-four hours. Then, everything depends on where the defect is located: if it is in an area far from the Red Sea, it could take ten days . If it is nearby, a few hours,” explains Emmanuel Décugis, technical director of Orange Marine ships.
The imposing French fleet
Once in the area, the goldsmith’s work begins. “We must identify the precise location of the damaged area,” indicates Emmanuel Décugis. Orange relies on a sophisticated underwater robot, capable of diving to a depth of 3,000 meters and analyzing its environment via cameras and a sonar system. A toy that the crew follows very closely when it is underwater, because it costs between 5 and 8 million euros alone. Once the faulty section has been identified and brought back on board, the teams take turns on watch to replace it as quickly as possible. The delicate optical fibers are resoldered one by one and the section is coated with a plastic alloy to make it completely airtight.
THE Sophie-Germain cost 50 million euros, and its playing area encompasses the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Red Sea. With it, Orange is making a foray into a completely different market: that of repairing energy cables, such as those of wind farms. The ship indeed has adequate protection to accommodate this type of connection. An interesting diversification. “For the moment, the players in energy cables and those in telecoms cables have not ventured into their respective areas, but that is set to change,” confides Emmanuel Décugis.
The Orange group also has vessels ensuring the laying of cables, in particular the René Descartes. Capable of carrying 5,800 tonnes on board, this ship can lay up to 6,000 kilometers of cable in one go, or an entire transatlantic submarine system. “If Orange Marine alone has installed more than 263,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables, our network has more than 450,000 kilometers, if we take into consideration all of our investments and our partnerships, i.e. more than 10 times around the planet”, underlined Christel Heydemann, the general director of Orange, on September 22, during the inauguration of the Sophie-Germain.
Complex projects which require the careful study of the underwater topography. The cables are in fact only 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter and can wear out prematurely if they are placed in rocky areas. These operations also require powerful vessels, because, near the coast, the cables must be buried to reduce the risk of them being damaged by passing boats. It is because of this that in 2017 Somalia found itself deprived of the Internet for days.
For the laying of a transatlantic cable, it takes between three and four months at sea, to which is added the construction of the myriad of stations and interconnections which will connect the cable to terrestrial networks. Boats like the Sophie-Germain therefore allow France to influence this market. “Our country has 30% of the world’s fleet of cable maintenance vessels,” argues Michaël Trabbia, executive director and CEO of Orange Wholesale. Half are with Orange Marine, the other with Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN). A valuable asset, because these niche skills are not easily acquired. A player who launches today risks taking years to reach the level of existing companies. “It’s a clever mix of fiber and seamanship professions,” argues Emmanuel Décugis, of Orange Marine.
Technological sovereignty
ASN is also a heavyweight in the manufacturing of submarine cables. “A field which only has five players in the world. Even if ASN belongs to the Finnish Nokia, having a French branch with local industrial activity in this field is therefore important”, points out Camille Morel, author of the book Submarine Cables. Geopolitics of the oceans (CNRS Editions) and associate researcher at the Institute of Strategy and Defense Studies (IESD) at Jean-Moulin-Lyon III University. Finally, France’s geographical position gives it an additional advantage. With its four maritime facades, the country is in fact a leading home port. “The city of Marseille has become the first European interconnection hub and the 7th world hub for submarine cable connections, that’s considerable!” rejoices the CEO of Orange, Christel Heydemann. The overseas territories considerably extend the scope of action and provide a useful anchor in the Pacific. “Thanks to this, France can claim to be included in certain strategic connections,” underlines researcher Camille Morel.
Submarine cables are, basically, a good example of how France can build intelligent technological sovereignty. Imitating the United States would be costly and futile: it is better to concentrate on strategic niches. The submerged part of the global Internet is one. Without these transcontinental gateways, Europeans would no longer be able to access 80% of the Web services they use on a daily basis. Since the NSA wiretapping scandal, States have taken a much closer interest in this subject. Because those who control the stages of these vast projects – in particular, the land areas where the cables stop – can better prevent espionage attempts.
Washington and Beijing have understood this well, and are engaged in a fierce battle behind the scenes. For ten years, China has indeed made great strides in the field. “It has equipped itself with all the necessary capabilities, both in manufacturing and in laying and repairing cables,” notes Camille Morel. A development that the United States views with a very negative eye and is actively working to thwart, as they did for Chinese 5G. Chinese cables are not welcome on their soil, and Washington strongly urges its allies to do the same. “Friendship”, “Peace”… behind the poetic names of the submarine cables, the naval battle rages.