Science beneath seas

New waves

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) is a leader in its field. The company’s advanced fiber optic systems cross sea floors, helping to keep us all connected, and enabling traditional and modern telecommunications from voice to cloud and broadband.

In addition, the company’s pioneering technologies directly help scientists to monitor changes in ocean health caused by climate change, and to track and protect sea creatures.

“ASN is using technology to do good, not just to connect people, but to help protect the ocean,” says a spokesperson for the company. “It’s about bringing innovation with care.”

Ocean monitoring

The French company traces its roots to 1858 and the laying of the first transatlantic cable. It designs, produces, installs, and maintains submarine systems, as well as developing advanced climate monitoring technologies.

The SMART (Scientific Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunications) cable solutions integrate sensors into new submarine optical devices. This helps scientists measure ocean pressure and temperature on the sea floor.

ASN’s OptoDAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing) fiber sensing monitors seismic signals from undersea earthquakes, helping to warn of tsunamis before they reach land. This uses existing fiber optic cables – a cost effective, scalable way to improve early warning systems.

Landing craft

All submarine cables come ashore at some point, and ASN ensures its cables do so with respect for both local communities and the environment. At a landing site in the South Pacific, the company has worked with stakeholders, from local authorities to landowners and community members, to safeguard cultural and land-use standards while protecting the environment.

As ASN also maintains its cabling, it is able to continue to monitor the site, making sure it remains resilient and stable. At the same time, ASN works to strengthen its partnership with local people. The project supports the community’s long-term digital future, and shows that international infrastructure projects can succeed, as long as technical expertise, local voices, and environmental responsibility all come together in open dialogue.

What does a sustainable future look like?

ASN envisages a future of providing global undersea technologies that connect the world, while protecting marine life and monitoring climate change. In this, the company aligns with SDG 14, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

In support of this, the company’s technologies guarantee that scientists can perform environmental tasks, such as tracking whale pods. This helps us better understand this marine mammal’s behavior, migration patterns, and population.

As one ASN spokesperson says, “It’s about knowing how important it is for humans to act as caretakers of the sea, and use its resources wisely, both on and off land.”