EXHIBIT 5

August 7, 1996

Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D. C. 20549-1004

RE:  COMVERSE TECHNOLOGY, INC.
     -------------------------

Gentlemen:

I have acted as legal counsel to Comverse Technology, Inc., a New York
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the registration, pursuant to a
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of an aggregate of 21,446,880 shares of
Common Stock of the Company, par value $0.01 per share ("Common Stock"),
issuable upon the exercise of options ("Options") which have been or may be
granted under the Company's 1984 Incentive Stock Option Plan and 1987 Stock
Option Plan (the "Plans"), including the registration for resale, pursuant to a
prospectus prepared in accordance with Part I of Form S-3, of an aggregate of
5,000shares of Common Stock, as set forth in Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to
the Registration Statement.

I have examined originals, or copies certified to my satisfaction, of the
Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Company, the minutes and other
records of the proceedings of the Board of Directors and of the Stockholders of
the Company, the Plans and such other documents, corporate and public records,
agreements, and certificates of officers of the Company and of public and other
officials, and I have considered such questions of law, as I have deemed
necessary as a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed.  In such
examination I have assumed the genuineness of all signatures and the
authenticity of all documents submitted to me as originals and the conformity to
original documents of all documents submitted to me as certified or photostatic
copies.

Based on and subject to the foregoing, I hereby advise you that, in my opinion,
the issuance of shares of Common Stock, upon exercise of the Options in
accordance with the provisions and subject to the conditions set forth in the
Plans and in the agreements executed thereunder governing the issuance and
exercise of the Options, has been duly authorized and, when the consideration
for such shares has been received by the Company and such shares have been
issued in accordance with and subject to such terms and conditions, such shares
of Common Stock will be legally issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

I hereby consent to the reference to the undersigned under the caption "Legal
Matters" in the Prospectus included in the Registration Statement.

Very truly yours,


William F. Sorin