In fact, the United States remains Northern Telecom's single largest market - 40 percent of its business, compared with only about 10 percent from Canada and the rest from overseas.

But the fact that such a deal has not been announced does not mean Northern Telecom's management has not been interested.

Worse, the Sprint Spectrum delay was not Northern Telecom's only recent software setback.

An OEM partner was Northern Telecom.

A good example of the economic integration under way is Northern Telecom, which has headquarters in suburban Toronto and is the second-largest telecommunications company in North America.

At the same time, Cisco Systems Inc., the data communications giant, has been trying to win business from the big phone carriers that are Lucent's and Northern Telecom's traditional customers.

The design was also produced in Canada by Northern Electric, which eventually became Northern Telecom.

Lucent's and Northern Telecom's strategy of a full wireless product lineup will be pitted against the longstanding reluctance of service providers to deal with only one supplier.

So Northern Telecom would probably have to make an acquisition with cash.

In 10 years Lucent's main competitor may not be Northern Telecom but Cisco Systems, Silicon Valley's rapidly rising networking powerhouse.