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To: Scrapps who wrote (3874)	6/26/1998 12:38:00 PM
From: David Lawrence	Respond to of 9236

NEW YORK -(Dow Jones)- Ascend Communications Inc., itself the subject of recent takeover rumors, has reportedly acquired a small stake in start-up firm Fibex Systems, which is developing equipment for high-speed digital modem connections over ordinary copper telephone wires. Fibex develops gear based on the digital subscriber line, or DSL, technology. The firm is aiming its products at new companies springing up to compete with the Baby Bells for local telephone service, according to The Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Calif. These companies, known as competitive local exchange carriers, or CLECs, lease telephone lines from the Baby Bells and install their own equipment at the central switching office to provide voice and high-speed Internet services. Many CLEC's focus on selling telephone and data services to small and midsize companies. A host of other companies are developing DSL gear but Fibex boasts that its technology is more versatile, compact and advanced. It is banking on a product it calls "dlc Plus," which is designed to connect offices and ultimately homes to the central telephone network at high speeds and in a cost-efficient manner. Ascend, which makes a variety of networking gear, specializes in "remote-access" products, which Internet-service providers and corporations use to link users to various networks. Ascend (ASND) recently rolled out products to broaden its offerings in the virtual private networking market. Virtual private networks are dedicated communications tunnels, or avenues, set up across public and private networks to assure higher quality service. With Alcatel-Alsthom SA planning to gobble up DSC Communications Corp., Tellabs Inc. announcing a deal to buy Ciena Corp. and Canadian telecom-equipment maker Northern Telecom Ltd. recently announcing plans to acquire computer-networking equipment maker Bay Networks Inc., analysts many makers of telecom- and computer-networking equipment will have a difficult time remaining independent. As merger mania seizes the industry, analysts say a likely next target could be Ascend, which might be attractive to Lucent or Tellabs. Copyright (c) 1998 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.