Dsc Communications Corp

French manufacturer Alcatel Alsthom is acquiring telecommunications equipment maker DSC Communications Corp. for about $4 billion in stock, executives of the companies said. The acquisition would expand the French company's presence in the U.S. telecommunications equipment market. The announcement said Plano, Texas-based DSC's strong position in making telecom access and switching equipment would complement Alcatel's strength in transmission equipment.

Monsanto Co. said Friday that its fourth-quarter earnings rose 1.1%, in line with expectations, to cap a year in which the company moved to shed its remaining chemicals business and establish itself as a dominant force in agricultural biotechnology. Profit from operations rose to $90 million, or 15 cents a share, from $89 million, also 15 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The results were just short of the 16-cents-a-share forecast by analysts. St.

Bell Atlantic Corp. and DSC Communications Corp. filed a $3.5-billion lawsuit against AT&T Corp., accusing the company of stifling competition by building important telephone equipment to incompatible standards. The suit alleges that AT&T, the largest U.S. long-distance company and one of the largest makers of phone equipment, refused to build equipment that is compatible with gear made by other companies.