8-K

                  SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                        WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549



                                FORM 8-K

                             CURRENT REPORT 
 PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)       December 8, 1998



                             TELLABS, INC. 
           (Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)


           Delaware              0-9692         36-3831568 
(State or other jurisdiction  (Commission     (IRS employer  
  of incorporation)           file number)    identification no.)


      4951 Indiana Avenue, Lisle, Illinois           60532 
      (Address of principal executive office)      (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code     (630) 378-8800


                                  N/A 
     (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


















                                   1  







ITEM 5.  OTHER EVENTS


On December 8, 1998, Tellabs, Inc. (the "Company") announced a
multi-year agreement to supply Sprint Corporation with the Company's
AN2100 Gateway Exchange, a trademark of Tellabs Operations, Inc.,
system.  Further details are contained in a copy of the press release
attached hereto as Exhibit 20.13, which is incorporated by reference
herein. 



Item 7.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND
         EXHIBITS

     (c) Exhibits

     Exhibit 20.13 - Press release issued by Tellabs, Inc. on  
     December 8, 1998. 



                              SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                              TELLABS, INC.



December 14, 1998                  s\ J. Peter Johnson 
                                   ---------------------

                                    J. Peter Johnson 
                                   Vice President, Controller 
                                   and Chief Accounting Officer 













                                   2

EX-20

NEWS RELEASE                                      EXHIBIT 20.13

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT: Thomas P. Scottino  
12/08/98                                    (630) 378-7504


      TELLABS DELIVERS NEXT-GENERATION VOICE/DATA SWITCH  
                   TECHNOLOGY TO SPRINT  

Lisle, Ill.-- Tellabs announced today that it will supply its AN2100
Gateway Exchange, a trademark of Tellabs Operations, Inc., system, a
next-generation voice/data switch, to Sprint under the terms of a new,
multi-year agreement valued at more than $100 million. 

The AN2100 system blends Tellabs' echo canceller and TITAN, a registered
trademark of Tellabs Operations, Inc., 5500 digital cross-connect
technology with packet and cell technologies to perform multimedia
adaptation and switching.  The system will allow Sprint to place
traditional, switched telephone services on its core ATM backbone, while
consolidating or eliminating legacy TDM network switching elements.
Tellabs and Sprint began to collaborate on the AN2100 feature set three
years ago.  

"The AN2100 system allows us to enable voice applications to be very
effectively integrated onto a broadband, distributed platform," said
Marty Kaplan, senior vice president and chief technology officer of
Sprint. "This is a significant step toward fully integrated voice and
data applications.  By collaborating closely with Tellabs, Sprint has
advanced to the next generation of switching equipment." 

"This announcement unveils a strategic Tellabs initiative to enable
voice telephone service over cell- and packet-based networks," said
Brian J. Jackman, Tellabs' president of Global Systems and Technology.
"The AN2100 Gateway Exchange system is the first of a series of new
Tellabs products designed specifically to enable our customers to
cost-effectively migrate from today's TDM world to future, cell-based
networks much like our industry-leading TITAN 5500 digital cross-connect
system helps customers migrate from asynchronous to SONET transmission."

Sprint is a global communications company -- at the forefront in
integrating long-distance, local and wireless communications services
and one of the world's largest carriers of Internet traffic.  Sprint
built and operates the United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber
optic network and is the leader in advanced data communications
services.  Sprint has $15 billion in annual revenues and serves more
than 16 million businesses and residential customers.   

Tellabs designs, manufactures, markets and services voice and data
transport and network access systems.  The company's products are used
worldwide by the providers of communications services.  Tellabs stock is
listed on the Nasdaq stock market (TLAB).