COMMUNICATIONS

BellSouth, Dow Jones to Test News Over Mobile Phones: Atlanta-based BellSouth and Dow Jones & Co. said they will begin testing a voice-based information service to mobile phone subscribers in the Los Angeles market. Bellsouth owns 80% of L.A. Cellular, whose customers would be able to access news bulletins by dialing voice mail boxes. New York-based Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, will be a key information provider. BellSouth said the service will be tested with up to 5,000 customers through June. If successful, it will roll out to the 1 million mobile phone customers BellSouth has in other markets across the country. Several phone companies have announced plans for similar ventures since the courts lifted restrictions against them entering the information services business.