Letter to a friend from Jean Devos
My dear friend from Southern Cross, I was very happy to read your recent press release announcing a major upgrade of your network. From the initial 8O Gbps capacity, currently at 240 Gbps, you will reach 430 Gps in the fourth quarter of 2008. This is great and “Botany Bay” in a way, fascinating. It is clearly the sign of a evolution. Icontinuing published technology recently a modest novel, whose title
My Dear Friend
is Botany Bay. It is the place in Australia where But this rings a bell for me, thinking back Alcatel established a to my 1980/1995 activity in the supplier’s side, submarine cable facand the great period of the optical technology 1989that as part development. One shouldtory not in forget suchof its took contract the fundamental breakthroughs place for before Tasman 2 link.period, In this the deregulation and privatization samebefore bay, where two then before the boom period, the major centuries before the Cultural Revolution in our business. At that Frenchwere expedition time, cost and time to market not real “La Pérouse” made issues. At that time everything - and more - wasof to be done to guarantee the yearsLalife time. two25ships, Boussole
The most theoretical risks had to be covered by safety measures, extra tests and extra margins. In other words, one of the reasons why the installed systems are showing today such an and l’Astrolabe, discoverthe that upgrade potentiallanded is the in fact1788 thatto yesterday Captain Cook wasunder already around bearing the design was done a very conservative British flag. So Botany Bay is now for me the philosophy.
event was still in everyone’s memory. ofWarrior “accepting” or “rejecting”. Thousands of It is for these others that STC (UK) kilometers of reasons cables, among thousands of components the Alcatel‘s to come with a orrejected repeaters subunitssuggestion have been rejected, jointwould bid, tohave offerperfectly a “European” which workedsolution. on the sea bottom.One of the winning factors has been the Port-Botany cable factory. Such a factory was a The question is then: If a major strong requirement from OTC (now Telstra) and development, a new generation of submarine the Australian Government. systems using brand new technologies, was to Alcatel was the motivated. be developed today, whomost would guaranteeSuch the a factory could expand its influence in the Pacific “conservatism” of the design? By principle this where the three other players were historically cannot be the role of the suppliers, how good, well established in this represents capable, professional andregion, seriouswhich they are. The a large part of their market. They saw suppliers cannot ignore costs, time to market,this factory as The a risk for their existing facilities! competition. carriers and the cable owners inmore Versailles camethis at the right time. doSubOptic not have‘87 any in-house capability It is where thetoAustralian discovered the anymore. It has come fromteams truly independent parties. French model, a close cooperation between Alcatel and FT, exactly what they wanted to esThis is why I draw your attention, my friend, tablish in their country. to the growing role of the so called “consultants,” My friend, things are changed since, but especially the teams fully dedicated to the one thing stays true: When you submarine systems activities. Theyoffer are,something, or need the reader can see between the lines if you are to become the real “competencies centers.” or not andlight sincere. Then They are genuinely the watch motivated towers or the houses becomes really attractive ofyour our offer activities. Everyone, includingandthethis opens the route to “Botany suppliers, need to accept that Bay.” they correspond
symbol of a dream which becomes a reality! Within the 2 supplier’s organization, the Tasman has been yet another chapter R&D and the quality assurance people were all in this long Anglo-French competition! The working in that same direction. But they were award to Alcatel came out as a big surprise to strongly helped and even pushed by the external many, including inside Alcatel. Everybody was technical teams, the one of the customers naturally expecting the British to win that batsuch as BT laboratories, CNET, Bell Labs or tle, and such an expectation was at that time to an absolute need. It is in everyone’s best KDD. I do remember my old times in the cable very logical. youthem soon. interest See to see flourish. factory, producing cable for the transatlantic were so many difficulties and links; There the specification was not defining the Congratulations for Southern Cross misunderstanding and “needed quality,“ but between an “idealAustralia quality”, an achievement. France, the main one being the French presence Submarcom Consulting unachievable quality, a target of perfection in the which Pacificeveryone area, the was worse being the toward supposed to nuclear work bomb experiment in Tahiti! The sad Rainbow for. Then an independent body was in charge
Jean Devos
Jean Devos
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