AT&T; Tells of Internet Access Plans : Telecom: Firm says three new businesses are in the works, but it provides few details.

AT&T; Corp. said Tuesday that it will begin selling access to the Internet next year, becoming the last of the major long-distance companies to offer connections to the global public data network.

AT&T; announced three Internet-related businesses and said it hopes to make the network as simple to use as the telephone. But executives were vague on when key services would be ready, what equipment they would require and how much they would cost.

AT&T; said it will begin testing its main Internet access operation, called AT&T; WorldNet, next month and will make it available nationwide next year. The company also created a “hosting and transactions” operation that will help businesses develop services using the Internet, and a “content services” operation that will include its fledgling on-line services, AT&T; Interchange and the Imagination Network. How those services would fit into its broader Internet service was unclear.

AT&T; announced relationships with several companies that have developed Internet software, including Netscape Communications Corp., maker of the most widely used browser program for the World Wide Web portion of the Internet, and Adobe Systems Inc., whose Acrobat program is becoming more popular for sharing complex documents.

AT&T; disclosed its plans several days after its biggest rival, MCI Communications Corp., said it would update its Internet services in conjunction with News Corp., the media conglomerate in which it invested $2 billion earlier this year.

Analysts said AT&T;’s plans had been expected for some time and that the announcement contained few surprises. The company was praised for emphasizing that its main financial interest is in network use rather than programming or content.