INTERNATIONAL

French Buying Rockwell Unit: Alcatel NV has agreed to buy a Dallas-based division of Rockwell International Corp. for $625 million, a move that analysts said would enhance the French telecommunications firm’s position in the United States. Alcatel is buying Rockwell’s Network Transmission Systems, a leading supplier of transmission systems for voice, image and data traffic. “The Rockwell acquisition gives us the possibility of becoming No. 2 (behind AT&T;) in line transmission in the U.S. market,” Alcatel Vice President Jozef Cornu said. Alcatel has 4% of the U.S. transmission business, Rockwell 11%.