SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8

                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                            ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE, INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware                                                              93-1035711
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
            High Ridge Park, Bldg. No. 3, Stamford, Connecticut 06905
               (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

           Electric Lightwave, Inc. 1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
                            (Full title of the plan)


                                  Kerry D. Rea
                            Electric Lightwave, Inc.
                             8100 N.E. Parkway Drive
                                    Ste. 150
                            Vancouver, WA 98662-6461
                     (Name and address of agent for service)

                                 (360) 892-1000
                     (Telephone number, including area code,
                              of agent for service)

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

                                                                                          

============================== -------------------- --------------------- ----------------------- ----------------
Title of Securities to Be      Amount to Be         Proposed Maximum      Proposed Maximum        Amount of
Registered                     Registered (1)       Offering Price Per    Aggregate Offering      Registration
                                                    Share (1)             Price (1)               Fee (1)
============================== ==================== ===================== ======================= ================
Class A Common Stock, par      200,000              $12.4375              $2,487,500              $733.81
value $.01 per Share
============================== ==================== ===================== ======================= ================


(1)      Calculated  under Rule 457(h)  with  respect to the  estimated  maximum
         number of registrant's  securities  issuable under the Plan and a price
         per share of $12.4375,  the average of the reported high and low prices
         on the New York Stock Exchange on June 2, 1998.





                                     PART II

                     INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 3.           Incorporation of documents by reference

         The following documents filed by Electric Lightwave,  Inc. ("ELI") with
the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Commission") pursuant to the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934  ("Exchange  Act") are hereby  incorporated by reference in
this Registration Statement:

         1. The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
            31, 1997, as supplemented.

         2. The Company's  Quarterly  Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
            ended March 31, 1998.

         3. The Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 19,
            March 23 and May 6, 1998.

  
        ELI will  provide  without  charge to each person to whom a copy of the
material  describing the Plan is delivered,  upon the written or oral request, a
copy of each  document  incorporated  by  reference  in Item 3 of Part II of the
Registration  Statement  (not including the exhibits to such  documents,  unless
such exhibits are  specifically  incorporated  by reference in such  documents).
Such  documents are  incorporated  by reference in the documents  comprising the
prospectus.  ELI will also provide without charge, upon written or oral request,
copies of other documents  required to be delivered to  participating  employees
pursuant to Rule 428(b)  under the  Securities  Act of 1933.  Requests  for such
copies should be directed to Electric  Lightwave,  Inc., Employee Stock Purchase
Plan,  Corporate Human Resources,  Electric  Lightwave,  Inc., 8100 N.E. Parkway
Drive, Ste. 150, Vancouver, WA 98662-6461 (telephone: (360) 892-1000).

Item 4.       Description of Securities

         ELI's Common Stock is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act.

Item 5.       Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

         None.



Item 6.       Indemnification of Directors and Officers

         The Company,  being incorporated under the Delaware General Corporation
Law, is empowered by Section 145 of such law to indemnify officers and directors
against  certain  expenses,  liabilities  and  payments,  including  liabilities
arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,  as therein  provided.  In
addition,  the By-Law's of the Company provides for indemnification of specified
persons,  including  officers  and  directors of the  Company,  for  liabilities
arising under said Act.

         Insurance  is  maintained  providing  coverage  for the Company and its
subsidiaries  against  obligations  incurred as a result of  indemnification  of
officers and directors. The coverage also insures the officers and directors for
a  liability  against  which they may not be  indemnified  by the Company or its
subsidiaries but excludes specified dishonest acts.

Item 7.       Exemption from Registration Claimed

         No restricted  securities  will be reoffered or resold  pursuant to the
Registration Statement.

Item 8.       Exhibits


Exhibit No.                                                        Description


4.1                          Amended and Restated Certification of Incorporation
                             of Electric Lightwave, Inc. is incorporated by 
                             reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Annual Report on Form
                             10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997.

5                            Opinion of Counsel as to legality of Common Stock
                             being issued.

24                           Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick.

25                           Powers of Attorney.

Item 9.       Undertakings

         (a)  The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

                  (1) To file,  during any  period in which  offers or sales are
being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement;

                           (i)  To include any prospectus required by Section 10
(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

                           (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events
arising  after  the  effective  date  of the registration statement (or the most


recent   post-effective   amendment  thereof)  which,  individually  or  in  the
aggregate,  represent  a  fundamental change in the information set forth in the
registration statement; and

                           (iii)  To  include  any  material   information  with
respect to the plan of distribution
not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to
such information in the registration statement.

         Provided,  however,  that  paragraphs  (a)(1)(i) and  (a)(1)(ii) do not
apply if the  registration  statement is on Form S-3 or S-8, and the information
required to be included in a  post-effective  amendment by those  paragraphs  is
contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant  pursuant to Section 13 or
Section 15(d) of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934 that are  incorporated  by
reference in the registration statement.

                  (2) That, for the purpose of determining  any liability  under
the Securities Act of 1933, each such  post-effective  amendment shall be deemed
to be a new registration  statement  relating to the securities offered therein,
and the  offering  of such  securities  at that  time  shall be deemed to be the
initial bona fide offering thereof.

                  (3) To remove from  registration by means of a  post-effective
amendment  any of the  securities  being  registered  which remain unsold at the
termination of the offering.

         (b) The undersigned  registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of
determining  any liability  under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the
registrant's  annual  report  pursuant to Section  13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities  Exchange  Act of 1934 (and,  where  applicable,  each  filing of the
Plan's annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) that is incorporated by reference in the  registration  statement shall be
deemed to be a new  registration  statement  relating to the securities  offered
therein,  and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be
the initial bona fide offering thereof.

         (c)  Insofar  as  indemnification  for  liabilities  arising  under the
Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors,  officers and  controlling
persons of the registrant  pursuant to the foregoing  provisions,  or otherwise,
the  registrant  has been  advised  that in the  opinion of the  Securities  and
Exchange  Commission such  indemnification is against public policy as expressed
in the Act and is,  therefore,  unenforceable.  In the  event  that a claim  for
indemnification  against  such  liabilities  (other  than  the  payment  by  the
registrant of expenses  incurred or paid by a director,  officer or  controlling
person of the  registrant  in the  successful  defense  of any  action,  suit or
proceeding)  is  asserted by such  director,  officer or  controlling  person in
connection with the securities being registered,  the registrant will, unless in
the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent,
submit  to a  court  of  appropriate  jurisdiction  the  question  whether  such
indemnification  by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will
be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.




                                   SIGNATURES

         The Registrant.  Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it
meets all of the  requirements  for filing on Form S-8 and has duly  caused this
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunder
duly authorized, in the City of Stamford, and State of Connecticut, on the fifth
day of June, 1998.



                                        ELECTRIC LIGHTWAVE, INC.


                                        By: /s/ Robert J. DeSantis
                                                ____________________________
                                                Robert J. DeSantis
                                                Vice President and Treasurer







         Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Act of  1933,  this
Registration  Statement  has been signed below by the  following  persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.

                                                                                             


              Signature                                        Title                              Date

         LEONARD TOW*                                 Chairman of the Board,                   June 3, 1998
- ------------------------------------                  Member, Executive
(Leonard Tow)                                         Committee and Director                   

                                                       
         DARYL A. FERGUSON*                            Vice Chairman, Chief                    June 3, 1998
- ------------------------------------                   Executive Officer, 
(Daryl A. Ferguson)                                    Member, Executive
                                                       Committee
                                      
                                                       
                                                                     
    /s/  ROBERT J. DESANTIS                            Chief Financial Officer, Vice           June 5, 1998
- ------------------------------------                   President and Treasurer 
(Robert J. DeSantis)
                                                        
         KERRY D. REA*                                 Vice President and                     June 3, 1998              
- -----------------------------------                   Controller               
(Kerry D. Rea)                     
                                                        
         GUENTHER E. GREINER*
- ------------------------------------                    Director                              June 3, 1998
(Guenther E. Greiner)
                                                         
        
- ------------------------------------                    Director
(Stanley Harfenist)
                                                                    
         DAVID B. SHARKEY*                              President, Chief Operating            June 3, 1998
- -----------------------------------                     Officer, Member, Executive
(David B. Sharkey)                                      Committee and Director              
                                                                  
         ROBERT A. STANGER*                                                                    
- -----------------------------------                    Director                               June 3, 1998
(Robert A. Stanger)
                                                                 
         MAGGIE WILDEROTTER*                                                                   
- -----------------------------------                    Director                               June 3, 1998
(Maggie Wilderotter)


*By: /s/  ROBERT J. DESANTIS 
- -----------------------------------
Attorney-in-fact




                                                                                                

              Signature                                        Title                              Date
              ---------                                        -----                              ----
 

          






                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.                         Description

5                                   Opinion of Counsel

23                                  Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

24                                  Powers of Attorney