Time Warner, AT&T; May Team on Service

Time Warner Inc., the No. 1 U.S. cable-television operator, said it’s negotiating with AT&T; Corp., the country’s top long-distance company, to provide local phone service to Time Warner customers.

Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Joseph Collins said the companies are talking about partnerships for phone service, though he wasn’t more specific. AT&T; already has agreements to offer phone service to customers of cable companies such as Cablevision Systems Corp.

Time Warner, which is being acquired by America Online Inc. for about $141 billion, already has a limited phone service agreement with AT&T.;

“We’re in negotiations with AT&T; about sharing and partnering in some of those areas” of phone service, Collins said.