Siecor (Hickory, NC) was awarded a 3-year contract extension as the primary supplier to ixc Communications Inc. (Austin, TX) to provide fiber-optic cable for the expansion of its coast-to-coast network. Terms were not disclosed. Siecor?s altos fiber cable, containing Corning Inc.?s (Corning, NY) smf-ls and leaf fibers, will be used for ixc?s ongoing expansion. By the end of 1998, ixc expects to double its network to nearly 14,000 fiber route-mi. ixc also selected Nortel (Brampton, ON, Canada) to supply optical network equipment for expansion of its southeastern route.