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)  February 16, 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)



























Item 5.   Other Events

On February 16, 1998, Tellabs, Inc., a Delaware corporation
("Tellabs"), Cardinal Merger Co., a Delaware corporation and a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Tellabs ("Sub"), and Coherent Communications
Systems Corporation, a Delaware corporation ("Coherent"), entered into
an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement"), providing for
the merger of Sub with and into Coherent (the "Merger"), with Coherent
surviving the Merger and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tellabs.
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, by virtue of the Merger each
outstanding share of common stock, $.01 par value per share, of
Coherent will be converted into the right to receive .72 of a share of
common stock, $.01 par value per share, of Tellabs.  Further details
regarding the Merger and the Merger Agreement are contained in the copy
of the Merger Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit 2.1 and the press
release issued by Tellabs on February 16, 1998 attached hereto as
Exhibit 99.1, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. 




SIGNATURES


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

                                      TELLABS, INC.




Date: February 20, 1998             By: __s/ J. Peter Johnson___ 

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










                                         



                             






Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and
Exhibits

(c)  Exhibits 
  
 Exhibit 2.1        Agreement and Plan of Merger, including exhibits
                    dated February 16, 1998, among Tellabs Inc.,
                    Cardinal Merger Co. and Coherent Communications
                    Systems Corporation. 
 
 Exhibit 99.1       Joint press release issued by Tellabs, Inc., and
                    Coherent Communications Systems Corporation dated
                    February 16, 1998.