30 January 2003 -- Paris-based telecom equipment maker Alcatel has been awarded a three-year contract to provide two dedicated cable vessels to the Atlantic Cable Repair and Maintenance Agreement (ACMA 2004) in order to meet the need for undersea systems maintenance. Service will begin in early 2004.
Founded in 1965, ACMA is a cooperative non-profit arrangement consisting of more than 50 telecoms companies on all the continents bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It provides for at-sea repair and maintenance services to its members at cost for the vast majority of underwater telecoms cables, more than 150,000km of cables, crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Alcatel will supply one vessel from its own fleet to ACMA. The second vessel will be provided to Alcatel by France Telecom (Marine), on a subcontract basis.
Combining its system knowledge and transmission expertise together with its maintenance services, Alcatel will allow the ACMA to ensure its customers rapid and effective intervention for system reconfiguration in case of cable failure, while minimising downtime risks and maximising savings.
"ACMA's commitment is to delivering the highest-quality maintenance, even in the most adverse weather conditions," said ACMA's chairman William Kolb. "Alcatel's proven expertise for the maintenance of submarine systems will provide ACMA with the grade of responsiveness required to provide security to our member companies."