TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AT&T; Shedding Its Copper Cable Operations: The provider of long-distance telephone services said it is selling the Phoenix business to CableSystems International Inc., a further sign that the nation’s largest phone company is shedding old technology. The sale price for the unit was not disclosed, but AT&T; said CableSystems will acquire the Phoenix Works plant, where most of its manufacturing of copper cable for local phone networks has been based. AT&T; has been switching to fiber-optic transmission lines in the United States, cutting its need for a copper-making operation, analysts said. CableSystems--formed by members of the Phoenix Works management team and Citicorp Venture Capital, a unit of Citicorp--said it expects to operate with the current management.