The submarine cable chain includes cable making, laying, repair and maintenance. It is not identified as a sector in the French classification of economic activities. The "making" segment is parrt of the cable manufacturing sector while laying and maintenance belong to the electric and telecommunication line construction sector. Turnover is sourced from enterprises and the industry association, and other key figures are estimated using INSEE business data on sectors which include segments of the chain. Operating costs are sensitive to key commidity prices, mainly copper and aluminium, shown in a separate table.