MFS Communications Co. Inc.,

Omaha, NE, plans to partner with U.K.-based Cable & Wireless plc. to build and operate a $500 million transatlantic fiber-optic cable system between London and New York. A contract for French Fr. $2 billion (US$392 million) has been signed with Alcatel Submarine Networks to build the undersea portion and other elements of the cable system by 1998. It will use Synchronous Digital Hierarchy technology and will offer 10-Gbit/sec capacity for multimedia, Internet and other broadband services.