TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FCC Speeds Up Timetable for Toll-Free Numbers: The agency announced that 888-prefix telephone numbers will be available for businesses’ use by March 1, a month ahead of schedule. This prefix will join existing 800 numbers, of which 600,000 remain, the Federal Communications Commission said. The plan will let phone companies sell 120,000 numbers per week, it said. AT&T; Corp., MCI Communications Corp., Sprint Corp. and other telephone companies can begin taking reservations Feb. 10 from corporations for specific 888 numbers.