cegecom is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The anniversary of the alternative operator, a subsidiary of the Luxembourgish group artelis, will also mark a leadership transition at the head of the company. Serge Eiffes will succeed Didier Wasilewski, one of the company’s first employees, who has been the CEO of cegecom and artelis for the past year. This is an opportunity to look back with them on the key milestones in the company’s development, the factors that contributed to its success, and the challenges ahead.
cegecom was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the Luxembourg Grand-Ducal Electricity Company (Cegedel), which later became Enovos International/Encevo. Didier Wasilewski, the current CEO, was one of the first employees of the operator, which has positioned itself in Luxembourg for 25 years as a complementary alternative to other players in the sector, serving a professional clientele. “At the time, the group, which was managing the electrical infrastructure, saw the opportunity to deploy fiber where the electrical network passed, to meet both its own telecommunications needs and those of third parties,” recalls Didier Wasilewski. “So, we positioned ourselves as the second operator in a market that was about to liberalize. When talking about the development of fiber optics in Luxembourg, we were pioneers, long before the others.”
Steady and robust growth
From that point on, cegecom experienced steady growth, initially connecting industrial clients and then major business districts as they developed, deploying fiber optics alongside the electrical infrastructure. “Using this network, we gradually expanded our offering. It started with connectivity services, then we became an Internet Service Provider, before offering telephony through the unbundling of the copper network, to reach our target customers, which are SMEs,” explains Didier Wasilewski.
As the business grew, in 2006, cegecom and VSE NET, an active operator in Germany, came together to form artelis. In 2017, the Luxembourgish shareholder sold its stake in the artelis group to VSE. Today, cegecom continues to operate within the artelis group, which has 240 employees. “However, the business is primarily supported from Luxembourg, where 70 employees are based, many of whom hold operational roles,” specifies Didier Wasilewski.
Supporting professional players in their evolution
Although artelis/cegecom is less known to the general public in Luxembourg, it mainly targets a professional clientele, made up of businesses and third-party operators. “Since 2012, we have developed a ‘data center’ offering from LuxConnect’s facilities,” continues Didier Wasilewski.
In 2014, still aiming to meet the evolving needs of clients, the operator launched a cloud service, which it would abandon two years later in the face of the rise of large platforms. However, the managed service around telephony is still highly appreciated by clients, as are the cybersecurity solutions introduced five years ago. “The Covid period was a turning point, with an increased demand from our clients for more bandwidth,” recalls the current CEO. “Since then, market players are more attentive to the reliability and responsiveness of their service providers. cegecom/artelis’s experience, along with its commitment to building a robust and high-performing infrastructure, has allowed us to stand out in the market.”
“We have two strengths today:
The speed and flexibility of offering tailored solutions for our clients, meeting their specific needs. We analyze clients’ needs in the pre-sales phase and provide an offer that fits.
Providing each client, at the time of their installation, a single point of contact in the role of a project coordinator, who ensures on-time delivery, coordinates between different stakeholders, and guarantees accurate billing.”
A reliable and complementary alternative
“We don’t consider ourselves a competitor to the incumbent operator but rather a partner to the clients we serve, as an alternative to the existing offer. More than ever, companies are focused on strengthening their resilience and seeking redundant solutions for all the services essential to their operations. By staying responsive and flexible, and ensuring stable infrastructure, we see ourselves as a vital complementary player, with the specificity that we mainly work with European suppliers and partners.”
The 25th anniversary of cegecom will be an opportunity for Didier Wasilewski, who took over as CEO of artelis in 2024, to pass the baton to his successor, Serge Eiffes, who joined the company a few months ago. “When I agreed to take over as CEO in 2024, it was with the goal of organizing this succession. Serge, I’m convinced, is the ideal person to take cegecom and artelis further, building on the solid foundations we’ve laid over these 25 years.”
A smooth transition
Serge Eiffes joined cegecom/artelis last November after a rich career in the telecommunications sector in Luxembourg. He will lead the group alongside his counterpart Marc Kahabka in Germany. “I had the chance to work with Didier for six months. I learned a lot from him. He has been with the company for 25 years and introduced me to the secrets of Artelis, connecting me with clients and other key decision-makers. My integration has been smooth and constructive. During the first two months, I familiarized myself with the company and employees by holding one-on-one meetings with every employee based in Luxembourg, who either works for cegecom or VSE Net. Didier was in charge of operations. It has been a smooth and optimal transition. Since January 1st, I have been fully operational. I’ve taken over Didier’s role at the helm of a company with great development potential. After the interviews, I presented my change and relaunch program for artelis Luxembourg to the entire team in mid-February. I find the job very interesting, especially since we are present in both countries and belong to the large E.ON group.”
Developing value-added solutions
Well integrated within the group, Serge Eiffes has plenty of ideas to face the upcoming challenges and ensure the future prosperity of the business. “artelis distinguishes itself through the quality of the infrastructures we manage, but also through the skills and commitment of our teams,” explains the new CEO. “The challenge for the future will be to develop value-added services based on these elements, particularly in ICT, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. We are committed to working with a range of strategic partners to develop value-added solutions for our clients. It’s about continuing to support them, from a deep understanding of their needs, and staying as close as possible to their concerns. The short decision-making paths in Luxembourg, our flexibility in adapting products or solutions to clients’ needs, and the good collaboration among our teams make us very appealing to SMEs.”
The expansion of the service offering is already underway, with some announcements expected in the coming months.
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