French company ALCATEL has sold ALCATEL OPTRONICS, its optical components division, to American group AVANEX. This operation will take place under the terms of a wider agreement, by which AVANEX will also take over CORNING capital. ALCATEL will hold 28% of the capital of the new entity created, and 17% of CORNING. The sum total of this transaction will be 63.5 million dollars in shares.