TECHNOLOGY - March 23, 1996

IBM Wins Contract to Run Lucent’s Computer Systems: International Business Machines Corp. beat out AT&T; Corp. units for the multibillion-dollar contract at the AT&T; spinoff, Lucent Technologies Inc. IBM said it will hire as many as 3,000 AT&T; workers, who may have lost their jobs in the massive restructuring that will split the No. 1 long-distance provider into three companies. The contract comes as AT&T; seeks to redefine itself into a telephone company, computer maker and equipment company able to compete in a crowded marketplace. The fact that its own units, AT&T; Solutions and NCR Corp., didn’t get the contract shows that the competition will be intense, analysts said. Few details were released except that IBM said the 10-year contract is a multibillion-dollar agreement.