41.   Now, in the face of a slowing world economy, telecom companies are postponing new orders.

42.   Now, it wants the PUC to apply the same logic to MCI and its proposed merger with a British telecom company.

43.   One of the more distinctive offerings comes from CanBox USA of Woburn, Mass., a subsidiary of a German telecom company.

44.   One thing the Bitro pioneers never wanted was to position the company as a traditional telecom company, let alone a typical Korean company.

45.   Other telecom companies have suffered the same fate.

46.   Phillips has been a lead executive in a series of telecom companies, including several that were later purchased by MCI WorldCom.

47.   Regulators, meanwhile, are focusing their investigations on how telecom companies accounted for certain transactions in which competitors swapped capacity on their networks.

48.   Salomons analyst Andrew Harrington said that while sudden changes that could affect regional telecom companies were unlikely, the biggest impact would come through pressure on accounting rates.

49.   Shares of DDI and other telecom companies were the biggest losers on the first section at midday.

50.   Separately, shares in telecom companies declined amid concern fierce competition in the local market may hit profits, analysts said.