France Telecom SA Interested In Alcatel Lucent SA's Subsea Cables Unit-Reuters

Reuters reported that France Telecom SA would consider taking over the subsea cables business of Alcatel Lucent SA, as the telecoms gear maker seeks to ease its debt burden. Loss-making Alcatel is racing to cut costs and reduce cash burn after being hit by competition from low-cost Chinese rivals and lower spending on network gear by global telecom operators. France Telecom has expressed its interest in principle in Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), though for the moment it hasn't gone any further. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.