41.   Some analysts applauded the deal as a smart strategic move for a firm that is committed to being a leading provider of financial services to big customers.

42.   Springer, which publishes the huge German newspaper Bild Zeitung and other publications, said it would be a leading provider of content to the service.

43.   Steve Case built America Online, the leading Internet service provider that acquired the Time Warner entertainment and media conglomerate last year.

44.   The acquisition is part of a plan to transform the newspaper company into a leading provider of electronic information.

45.   The Bellevue, Wash., company is a leading Internet service provider for schools, nonprofit organizations and small- to mid-size businesses.

46.   The company is a leading provider of cable television network transmission products.

47.   The leading GSM provider functioned as a monopoly before Omnitel began offering its services.

48.   The leading provider of this data is Autodata Corp. in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

49.   The proposed deal will make Ameriserve larger than the current leading provider to restaurant chains, Prosource Inc. of Coral Gables, Fla.

50.   The Texas Public Utilities Commission said it would work with SBC Communications, a leading DSL provider, to provide replacement services for NorthPoint customers.